Ontario

This memorial to the local war dead was built and donated to the city of Windsor by Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 255 and was dedicated on 2 November 1958.

A cenotaph dedication was held Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, at the new Farrow Riverside Miracle Park. The Riverside Royal Canadian Legion Branch 255 hosted the dedication  bringing the cenotaph back to its original home. With the help of a $25,000 grant from the commemorative division of Veterans Affairs, the memorial was improved and relocated to the front of the park on Wyandotte Street East. The cenotaph was moved from its location in front of the Riverside Arena in 2011 when it was torn down. With the makeover of the former site, the opportunity arose for the cenotaph to move back to its original prominent spot. The cenotaph now sits on a platform at the entrance of the park with a black wall and the words “Lest We Forget” inscribed behind the memorial.

Local veterans, supporters and community members attended the dedication and remembrance ceremony which featured a reading of In Flanders Field, representatives from several local organizations, and music. Wreaths were laid by local officials and dignitaries from the navy, firefighters and youth representing the Cubs and Brownies, along with veterans from World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and currently serving military. This cenotaph did not have dates on its plaque, because the plaque is in honour of all who served.

The Shaar Hashomayim Monument was erected by Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 352 and dedicated on 4 October 4, 1970, to the local Jewish war dead of the First and Second World Wars.

This plaque was dedicated on May 2, 2010, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Canadian Navy, to honour those from Windsor and Essex County who served in the Navy.

In 2006, members of the Windsor community raised money for a monument dedicated to reservists from the Windsor-based Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment who took part in the Raid on Dieppe. That monument was erected in Dieppe's Red Beach, France, where the regiment landed and dedicated on August 19, 2006. On January 4, 2010, City of Windsor officials approved construction of a duplicate monument to be built much closer to home in Dieppe Gardens.

The $60,000, 2.4-metre-high monument is made of black granite and features a cutout of a large maple leaf. It was designed and placed so that on August 19 at 1pm — the exact hour that the regiment stormed the beach — if the sun shines, it will cast a perfect shadow of that maple leaf on the stainless steel leaf installed on the ground below. Designer Rory O'Connor, a local art student, thought it would be great to use the sundial idea to tell about the time and retreat of these soldiers. The beach stones around this monument were collected from the beach at Dieppe.

The monument commemorates the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment's sacrifices in Dieppe, but also those that made it throughout northwest Europe until final victory in 1945. The engineering, construction and fundraising was undertaken by the auspices of The Essex and Kent Scottish by Delta Company, the civilian affiliate of the Regiment.

This memorial was dedicated in 1967 in memory of WO1 Pipe Major J. (Jock) Copland MBE of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment 1st Battalion. It was erected by the Warrant Officers and Chief Petty Officers Association of Essex County.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he was a piper with the Seaforth Highlanders and  the Royal Engineers Territorial Force in Great Britain before coming to Galt, Ontario, in 1911. In Galt, he founded what became the Pipe Band of The Highland Light Infantry. In 1916, the 241st Canadian Scottish Borderers invited him to Windsor to form a pipe band and Copland went overseas with this unit. After the war, the band continued as the Border Cities Pipe Band. These Veteran pipers formed the core of the Essex Scottish Regiment pipe band when the Essex Fusiliers officially became a Highland Regiment in 1927.

Copland also instructed young pipers at the Walkerville High School Army Cadet Pipe Band, many followed him to Europe during the Second World War. Two of his sons, James and Robert, went with him as well. Jock was sixty when the war broke out in 1939, fifteen years too old to enlist. He had been with the Essex Scottish for over twenty years, had two sons in the band and served in the First World War. Determined to serve his regiment in this war as well, he lied about his age, claiming he was 45, so he would be accepted for service.

He became ill in Britain and was sent back to Windsor in January 1941. Jock, however, retained his ties with the Essex Scottish as Pipe Major for the reserve 2nd Battalion. After forty years of service with the Essex Scottish, he retired in December 1957. The regiment paid its final tribute to Jock with a parade on 7 March 1958. His son, Pipe Sergeant James Copland, succeeded his post, while his other son, Robert, served as the regiment's Drum Major. 

Jock died at the age of 86 on 29 April 1966. His sons, James and Robert, retired from the pipe band the following year, closing the half century the Copland family had spent as pipers for the Essex and Kent Scottish. Serving more than 60 years with the military, he was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire and held the Efficiency Medal and bars for long service.

The Naval Monument was erected in 1996 by the Royal Canadian Naval Association, Admiral Hose Branch Windsor and dedicated during the Battle of the Atlantic service on May 4, 1997.

In 2010, to mark the 100^th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy, bronze plaques were added to the monument to commemorate 100 years of naval service by Canadians and to honour Rear-Admiral Walter Hose the savior of the Royal Canadian Navy and the father of the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve. Rear-Admiral Hose was a longtime resident of Windsor and is buried there in Heavenly Rest Cemetery.

During 2016 to 2018, the monument underwent a complete restoration which included the addition of two bronze plaques to honour the Royal Canadian Navy ships lost during the Battle of the Atlantic and was updated to honour those who served during the Cold War and in Afghanistan. Five new flag poles were added to display the evolution of the Canadian Naval “Suite of Colours” on His Majesty’s Canadian Ships (warships) – the Blue Ensign 1911 – 1965; the White Ensign 1911 – 1965; the Canadian Maple Leaf 1965 – Present; the Canadian Naval Ensign 1968 – Present and the Red Ensign of the Merchant Navy of Canada. The surrounding plaza was significantly expanded by the City of Windsor during the reconstruction of the adjacent river-walk to include new planters and landscaping. The monument was rededicated on May 6, 2018.

In 2019, the Royal Canadian Naval Association with support from the City of Windsor, Windsor Port Authority, Royal Canadian Legion Branches, Navy League Windsor Branch, Veterans Organizations and the citizens of Windsor and Essex County initiated a project to commemorate the contributions and sacrifices made by those who served in the Royal Canadian Navy and the Merchant Navy with the addition of four black granite Memory Panels. 

Construction of the concrete footings for the granite panels, surrounding concrete plaza and landscaping was completed on October 30, 2020. Installation of the engraved black granite memory panels was completed in May 2021.

The Naval Monument Plaza was dedicated on May 7, 2023, Battle of the Atlantic Sunday to coincide with the Navy Reserve 100^th Anniversary.

Many projects were considered by the Knights of Columbus of Ontario to commemorate Canada's Centennial and all agreed with past State Deputy Tobias Kelly’s suggestion of a monument dedicated to peace on earth. Erected in 1967 by the Knights of Columbus of Ontario, the Pray for Peace consists of three modernistic columns representing three persons of the Trinity as they look down on a portion of a globe representing a troubled, war-torn world.

William C. "Bill" Kennedy, Grand Knight of Toronto Council #1388 volunteered to be the Chairman for the project. Regrettably, Bill died before the project was completed and in his stead, Cecil Berry of Council #1388 in Toronto chaired the project. He died soon after the project was completed.

Pray for Peace was unveiled on October 22, 1967, by past State Deputy Louis Salini and dedicated by Most Rev. Wiliam J. Smith Bishop of Pembroke State Chaplain for the Knights of Columbus. The 25 feet high monument weighs 50 tons and was made in 13 sections of Barre granite. It was designed by Donald Ailles of Toronto and produced by the Smith Monument Company of Toronto. Statues of a father, mother and child face the columns and represent a family reading the inscription on the base of the columns.

The cost of the $40,000 monument was covered by 30,000 Knights of Columbus members in Ontario subscribing $1.30 each. The land, lighting and maintenance were provided by the city.

For years, this property was used as a docking site by the Detroit-Windsor Ferry Company and several businesses. In the late 1950s, these buildings were purchased and demolished by the City of Windsor so that the site could be developed into a major riverfront park. This park was to share the memories of those men and women who participated in various military engagements.

Dieppe Gardens was officially dedicated June 28, 1959, named after Dieppe, France, where the Essex Scottish Regiment of Windsor, along with other units of the 2nd Canadian Division, made an assault landing on August 19, 1942. Almost 5,000 troops, joined by members of the British and American forces, took part in the Dieppe Raid. The results were grim and more than 3,350 soldiers would be killed, wounded or taken prisoner that day. This park honours of all the men who served in this engagement and those from this area who served in Canada’s Armed Forces in the Second World War. 

Lieutenant Colonel F. K. Jasperson, DSO, ED, QC, the commanding officer of the Essex Scottish Regiment of Windsor during the Dieppe Raid, unveiled the Service Personnel Monument. Three Army padres who took part in the commemoration ceremonies in Dieppe, France, during the Second World War officiated the service — Captain J.W. Houston, former chaplain of 2nd Division, Royal Canadian Artillery; Major F.C. McRitchie, former chaplain of 2nd Division Royal Canadian Engineers and current chaplain of Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment; and Major M.J. Dalton, MBE, former chaplain of the Essex Scottish Regiment.

As a further tribute to the Windsor area men who served and died, a plane flew over the area at the end of the ceremony and dropped poppies.

When Dieppe Gardens was dedicated, a Service Personnel Monument featuring a Silver Cross was placed by mothers whose sons were killed in the Second World War. Dieppe Gardens is home to many other military monuments: Pray for Peace, Naval Monument, WO1 Pipe Major J. (Jock) Copland MBE Memorial, Eternal Flame, Royal Canadian Air Force Memorial, Red Beach Memorial, and Korea Veterans War Memorial.

The black granite Canadians in Vietnam Memorial remembers the 103 Canadians who were killed in Vietnam and seven missing in action. This memorial was donated to the city of Windsor by a small group of American Vietnam War veterans. Unveiled on 2 July 1995, it is dedicated to all Canadians who served in the American Armed Forces during the Vietnam War.

This memorial to the veterans and war dead of the First World War from Sandwich was erected by the Honourable James Baby Chapter of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E.) after the First World War. It was refurbished by the Windsor Veterans Memorial Services Committee in 1980 and, again, in 1993 by Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 143 and the City of Windsor. The memorial was rededicated on 11 November 1993.