Ontario

The Pelham Cenotaph was erected in 1920 and pays tribute to 18 local soldiers killed in battle during the First World War.

Restoration of the cenotaph which included repairing the original 1920’s lead lettering was completed in July 2015.  The cenotaph and newly restored W.W. 1 German Trench Mortar were dedicated on Saturday, September 10, 2016.

Manotick Remembrance Park was opened on 2 July 2017, by the City of Ottawa and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 214. It is as a place to remember and to reflect on the contributions made by those who served their country in war and peace. The park contains six floral gardens dedicated to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Navy, Peacekeeping under a United Nations mandate, and Homefront.

Members of the Richmond Legion wanted to mark the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and honour all the members of the Armed Forces - past, present and future. In 2010, they started looking for ideas on the best way to do this. They made an application to the Canadian Armed Forces who were offering disarmed and disabled army vehicles. Plans were made to put down a cement pad, measurements taken and finances planned. Their first vehicle choice was not available, the second vehicle was too large for the space available and the third one required too much maintenance and upkeep. So the idea of a military vehicle memorial was shelved.

It was decided that a stone cairn was to be constructed with plaques on each side commemorating historical and military events and personnel. In the spring of 2012 plans were drawn and finances approved. That fall the base was poured and materials ordered.

Unfortunately, the stone required to finish the cairn was not received until the spring of 2013 and the plaques for each side of the cairn did not arrive until late May 2013. The cairn was unveiled and dedicated on 1 June 2013 at the Richmond Legion 40th anniversary dinner.

In 1925, friends and members of the Loyal Orange Lodge # 917 in Munster, Ontario, raised funds to erect a cenotaph in Munster Union Cemetery in memory of three young members who died in the First World War.

All four of the shield stained glass windows located outside the entrance to the Memorial Chamber were designed by Frank Hollister, who had spent four years in active service during the Great War, and constructed by Cowan & Hollister in 1928.

This window has a purple shield featuring a sprig of green maple leaves and a white fleur-de-lis is surmounted with a crown and surrounded with foliage and folded ribbon. The Latin inscription on the window translates to: Honour peace justice liberty.

All four of the shield stained glass windows located outside the entrance to the Memorial Chamber were designed by Frank Hollister, who had spent four years in active service during the Great War, and constructed by Cowan & Hollister in 1928.

This window has a white shield with red cross symbolizing Saint George, the patron saint of England, complemented with helmet and folded ribbon. The Latin inscription on the window translates to: By faith victorious. 

All four of the shield stained glass windows located outside the entrance to the Memorial Chamber were designed by Frank Hollister, who had spent four years in active service during the Great War, and constructed by Cowan & Hollister in 1928.

This window has a blue shield with white saltire, symbolizing the cross of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, complemented with helmet, fleur-de-lis and ribbon. The Latin inscription on the window translates to: By the cross victorious. 

Commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Veterans Association for Alberta’s Centennial, this memorial honours a commanding figure in Canadian history, Colonel James Alexander Farquharson Macleod. He is depicted in the elaborate uniform of second commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police and sits on his horse. The statue was created by renowned bronze sculptor Don Begg of Studio West Bronze Foundry Ltd. A replica of this statue was unveiled at Headquarters in Ottawa by Commissioner Zaccardelli on November 11, 2005.

James was born in 1836 in Drynoch, Isle of Skye, Scotland and emigrated to Canada with his family in the summer of 1845. Years of life on the farm influenced him at least as powerfully as his schooling and the family’s friendship with a family of local Ojibwa Indigenous imparted to James a lifelong respect and admiration for the native people of Canada.

His father lost seven brothers to tropical diseases while they were serving in the military and had himself fallen seriously ill while on military service in Demerara (Guyana). He left Scotland to avoid a similar fate for his sons. In the summer of 1856, Farquharson joined the Volunteer Militia Field Battery of Kingston as a lieutenant and was offered a commission in the British army. His father was horrified and insisted that the offer be refused.

In 1860, James passed his bar examinations at Osgoode Hall. For the next decade he practiced law at Bowmanville and retained a strong interest in the militia. Transferred in 1862 to the Bowmanville Volunteer Militia Rifle Company (which became part of the 45th (West Durham) Battalion of Infantry four years later), he was promoted to captain in 1863 and major in 1866. He served in the Trent Affair in 1861 and the Fenian Raids of 1866. In 1870, he obtained a commission as brigade major with the expedition sent to quell the uprising in the Red River settlement, Manitoba. He remained with the Canadian militia force at Lower Fort Garry until the spring of 1871 and returned to Ontario.

He was promoted lieutenant-colonel in the 45th Battalion of Infantry in December 1871. In late 1872 he left for England and Scotland and in the spring of 1873 Prime Minister Macdonald offered him a commission as superintendent and inspector in the newly established North-West Mounted Police. He accepted, returned to Canada and in October he left Collingwood, Ontario for Upper Fort Garry (Winnipeg) with several other officers and 150 men. During the winter of 1873–74 they began the training and organization of the North-West Mounted Police. In December he commanded the first patrol and on June 1, 1874, he was the first appointed assistant commissioner.

James set the tone of patience, reason, and diplomacy for North-West Mounted Police dealings with Indigenous peoples which survived until the 1890s. He was appointed as stipendiary magistrate for the North-West Territories on January 1, 1876, and left the force to then return to the force as commissioner on July 22, 1876. At the end of September 1880 Macleod resigned as commissioner and devoted his time to his judicial duties. 

Alex Polowin Avenue was named for Alex Polowin, a Second World War veteran who served in the Royal Canadian Navy and a member of Jewish War Veterans of Canada. In addition to the street-naming, Polowin has been honoured numerous times for his service including being a recipient of the French Legion of Honour, the Russian Ushakov Medal, the United Kingdom’s Arctic Star, and Canada’s Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Polowin met Queen Elizabeth, then-U.S. president Barack Obama, and other world leaders when he was chosen to represent veterans in 2014 at the 70th anniversary of D-Day ceremonies in Normandy. Polowin served on two ships during the war – the HMCS Pictou and HMCS Huron. Ottawa City Councillor Jan Harder presented a framed citation to Alex Polowin at the street-naming ceremony in his honour, November 30, 2017 on Alex Polowin Avenue in the Barrhaven area.

The Hall of Honour, formerly Hall of Fame, is a ceremonial hall containing plaques and reliefs commemorating the Great War, Parliament Building fire, and Confederation.