Ontario

This street commemorates Pivate Ferdinand Riendeau, a First World War combat veteran, and his son, Guardsman Ferdinand Paul-Emile Riendeau, who followed in his father’s footsteps and served overseas in the Second World War. 

Private Ferdinand Riendeau was born in June 1883 in Montreal where he was employed as a barber. He eventually made his way to Sault St. Marie where he joined the 227^th Battalion in May 1916. After training in Canada, he embarked for overseas duty with his Battalion in April 1917, but upon arrival in England, he was assigned to the 58^th Battalion. Pte Riendeau fought in all major battles to the end of the war including the “Hundred Days Offensive” that lasted from Aug to Nov 1918. He was demobilized in April 1919 and upon returning to Canada, settled in Ottawa. He died in 1950.

His only son Ferdinand Paul-Emile Riendeau followed in his father's footsteps and served in the Second World War. Guardsman Ferdinand Paul-Emile Riendeau was born in Ottawa in 1920 and attended the Guigue School and the Ottawa Technical High School. He enlisted with the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa where he became a Sergeant Instructor. He then joined the Armoured Corps and served with the Governor General’s Foot Guards as a Gunner Operator in Northwest Europe. Guardsman Riendeau was “Mentioned in Dispatches” in recognition of his distinguished service and also received the 1939-45 Star, the France and Germany Star, the Defence Medal, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and the 1939-45 War Medal. Upon returning to Canada, he joined the Ottawa Fire Department and retired as a Sergeant. He died in 1975.

Fortune Street is named in honour of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Fortune, member of the Prescott County Militia and original surveyor of the town of Richmond. 

Joseph Fortune was born in 1773 in Fairfield District/County, South Carolina. His father, William Fortune had emigrated to North America in 1767 and had been granted land in Fairfield County. Following the American Revolution and the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the family lost its land holdings and the Fortune family returned to England. In 1788, they returned to British North America, landing in Quebec City.

In 1797, William Fortune was granted 1000 acres of land, near the present day Ontario-Quebec border, and his son Joseph lived in the area for much of the early 1800’s. By 1803, both William and Joseph were officers in the Prescott County Militia though William returned to England shortly after the outbreak of the War of 1812 while Joseph participated in the conflict.

With the establishment of military settlements following the cessation of the war, Joseph Fortune lead the survey of the town of Richmond, Ontario. He died in 1836 and is believed to be buried in Richmond.

The Richmond Memorial Park Honor Roll was erected to honour the memory of Richmond and District servicemen who gave their lives in the First and Second World wars and more recent conflicts.  

This bronze plaque is dedicated to the memory of Private Percy Edward Vaughan. He was born in June 1893 at Kars, but was raised in Manotick. He died in February 1918, and is buried in the Mazingarbe Communal Cemetery Extension between Lens and Bethune, France.

This brass plaque is dedicated to the members of St. James Manotick Church who served in the First World War.

This framed scroll is dedicated to the members of St. James Manotick Church who served in the Second World War. This style of an Honour Roll was designed by A.J. Casson when he worked at Sampson-Matthews, a prominent midtown Toronto lithography and commercial art company.

The building was erected by the residents of Richmond in 1950 and is dedicated to the soldiers from the Richmond region who served and, in particular, those who gave their lives in the Second World War.

Foot Guards Park is named in honour of the Governor General's Foot Guards. It was dedicated on May 16, 2014 by the City of Ottawa. The Governor General’s Foot Guards was formed on June 7, 1872 in Ottawa. The Regiment has been headquartered at the Cartier Square Drill Hall since 1879.

Members of the Regiment took part in the Nile Expedition of 1884 and the following year provided a company of sharpshooters to the Battleford column during the Northwest Resistance, where the Regiment suffered its first two casualties at the battle of Cut Knife Hill. During the South African War the Regiment contributed volunteers for the various Canadian contingents, mainly the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry.

The Governor General’s Foot Guards perpetuates two battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force who took part in the First World War. The 2nd (Eastern Ontario) battalion “The Iron Second”, which was a part of the 1st Canadian Division and saw continuous service on the Western front from 1915 to end of war in 1918. The 2nd Battalion also fought at the battles of Ypres, St. Julien, Festubert, Pozières, Vimy (1917), Arleux, Hill 70, Passchendaele, Amiens, and Canal du Nord, to name only a few. By the end of the war, 242 officers and 5,084 other ranks had fought with the battalion. Of those, 52 officers and 1,227 other ranks were killed. The 77th (Ottawa) battalion provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps until 22 September 1916, when its personnel were absorbed by the 47th Battalion (British Columbia), Canadian Expeditionary Force and the 73rd Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada) and the battalion was disbanded. The honours and traditions of these battalions are perpetuated by the Governor General’s Foot Guards.

During the Second World War the Governor General’s Foot Guards was mobilized in May 1940. In 1942 the regiment was re-rolled to become an armoured unit to address the need for more armoured units in the Canadian Army, assuming the name “21st Canadian Armoured Regiment (Governor General’s Foot Guards)”. It embarked for Great Britain on 23 September 1942. On 24 July 1944, it landed in France as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division and it continued to fight in northwest Europe until the end of the war taking part in the battle of Normandy, the battle of the Scheldt, and the Rhineland. Over the course of the war the Regiment’s casualties were 101 dead and 284 wounded. Forceful III, a Sherman tank that served with the regiment is currently on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa and is dedicated to the memory of the members of the Governor General’s Foot Guards killed during the Second World War.

In the intervening years, members have participated in numerous United Nations and NATO operations, including service in the Cyprus, Somalia, the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, Haiti, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone. During the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, the Governor General’s Foot Guards deployed numerous members, taking part Task Force 3-06, Task Force 3-08, and Task Force 1-10 in Kandahar, as well as the Op ATTENTION training mission in Kabul.

Presently the Governor General’s Foot Guards provides individual augmentation to regular force when they deploy on operations. Most recently the regiment has deployed members on Op IMPACT in Iraq and Jordan, Op CALUMET in Egypt, Op SOPRANO in Sudan, Op REASSURANCE in Poland and Latvia, and Op UNIFIER in the Ukraine.

The Regiment maintains a robust domestic response capability to support Canadians at home in the event of natural disaster or emergency. The regiment has deployed soldiers to the 1998 Ice Storm, floods 2017 and 2019, and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

For service on active duty, members of the Regiment have been awarded over 500 decorations, including 3 Victoria Crosses. The regiment has 34 Battle Honours.

André Audet Avenue, is named in honour of Able Seaman Jean Frederick André Audet, who enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy on May 4, 1942 as an Ordinary Seaman. The street was named in November 2010 by the city of Ottawa.

Audet served on many ships, including HMCS ATHABASCA, spending 26 months at sea during the Second World War as an Able Seaman. Wounded as the Athabaskan sunk in the English Channel on April 29, 1944, Mr. Audet was very lucky to have survived as 128 of his fellow crew members lost their lives.

Audet received the 1939-45 Star, the Atlantic Star, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, as well as the War Medal (1939-45) for his service.

The Major W. Ross Chamberlain Park is named in honour of Major William Ross Chamberlain, MC, who joined the Canadian Army in November 1941, and served in North-west Europe, Africa, Italy, and Indo-China during the Second World War. He gallantly served with the 4 Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment (4 Princess Louise Dragoon Guards) and was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for the exemplary courage he displayed as a young lieutenant leading a successful attack against German positions on May 21, 1944.

Following the end of hostilities, he remained in the Army until 1962 after which he became a teacher. As a teacher and guidance counsellor for many years, he helped innumerable students at Fisher Park and Merivale high schools. A member of the Manotick Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion for 36 years, he founded and chaired the Youth Education Committee, developing a student bursary program for deserving high school students.

Mr. Chamberlain was also particularly devoted to providing services to seniors, founding the Rideau Seniors Association, the Manotick Senior Citizens Service Centre and assisted in the creation of Highlands Apartments (a low-cost senior’s residence) as well as a not-for-profit senior’s café in Manotick.