Prince Edward Island

The stone archway was built by Cajétan Arsenault of Saint-Raphael and stands at the entrance of the Notre Dame du Mont Carmel church cemetery. The monument was unveiled in August 1923 by Governor General Byng of Vimy. The Governor General was addressed by Justice Aubin-Edmond Arsenault, speaking to the sacrifice of Acadians in the war:

"You are looking at a group of wretched parents mourning their beloved children who fell on the field of honour. You also have before you many young people who valiantly answered the call and rushed to the aid of the motherland. And, Your Excellency, if all the parents whose children enlisted were gathered, they would constitute half of all the families in this parish. And what was accomplished here was also the work of other Acadian communities in this province.

Your Excellency, we take the liberty to speak of these facts because we are convinced that we address a patriot and a soldier; we know that we address the Hero of Vimy who immortalized his name by his military tactics, which led to the glory of our Canadian soldiers."

The trumpeting angels and cross were added to the top in 1927. Later a centre plaque was added with the names of those killed in the Second World War.

The Lot 16 War Memorial was erected in 1922 and dedicated to two local soldiers that died during the First World War. It was organized by Mrs. Edward Millar and unveiled by John Barrett, a First World War Veteran who served overseas. Funds for the monument were donated by area residents and businesses.

After the Second World War, three more war dead names were added. 

The Tignish War Memorial was built in 1947 by Edmond Laurent Gallant and Louis Harper. Claude Kinch, Hector Buote and J. Peter Gaudet were instrumental in having it erected. The latter hauled stones from Pleasant View for its construction. The land on which the memorial is built was donated by the Sisters of Notre Dame.

The memorial is a stone archway with a statue inside and small steps leading to it. There are black granite plaques on the sides displaying the names of Veterans who died in the First and Second World Wars. Later a plaque was added to honour all Veterans of the Korean War.

Erected by the local church and area residents, this memorial is dedicated to the local veterans of the First World War.

Memorial Square, named in 1938 for its primary feature, the Prince County Soldiers’ Monument, is the oldest public park in the City of Summerside. The park's military connection dates back to 1866 when the Colonial Government purchased the land and erected a Drill Shed to house the local militia. The field adjoining the building became known as the Drill Shed Square until 1889 when the townspeople were given permission by the Canadian Government (PEI having joined Canada in 1873) to use the land as a Public Garden. The Drill Shed was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1906. In 1908, the Town of Summerside bought the property and three years later named it Dominion Square.

In 1920, two captured German field guns were placed in the square. These reminders of war set the tone for the erection in 1922 of a large memorial to commemorate Prince County men who lost their lives in the Great War. A granite stone was placed in front of the original monument in 1956 to record the names of those who died in the Second World War and the Korean War. In 2000, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Memorial was erected in the square.

A rejuvenation of the park was carried out between 2002 and 2004, with an emphasis on improving the area around the Soldiers’ Monument. Memorial Square is valued as a reminder of the sacrifices made by Islanders during past conflicts. For more information on Memorial Square visit Canada's Historic Places.

The aircraft known as the Canadian Tracker was designed from the Grumman Aircraft Corp. S2F-1 and license-built in Canada by de Havilland Canada. 99 Canadian-built Trackers entered service starting from 1956 replacing the older Grumman Avengers. The purpose of the Tracker was to provide long-range anti-submarine protection for the HMCS Bonaventure aircraft carrier, also known as “Bonnie”. The trackers were also built a foot and a half shorter than a regular Grumman S2 so they could fit into the hanger bays of the carrier.

The Canadian Tracker had an impressive amount of equipment including: Magnetic Anomaly Detector boom, surface-search radars, internal bomb bays, torpedoes, power spotlight for identifying surface contacts in the dark, flares, sonobuoy dispensers and rockets.

Canadian Tracker 131 was the 30^th built by De Havilland in the late 1950s and had the serial number 1531. In the year 1969 the Air Force took over the Trackers and re-rolled the aircraft to have an anti-shipping role. They re-designated the plane CP-121 and the serial number 1531 was changed to 12131. This change involved removing all anti-submarine electronics and adding wing pylons equipped with CRV-7 rocket air-to-surface weapons. Common duties included anti-drug patrols, fishery patrols as well as search and rescue operations. The Tracker was also used as an Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator trainer during the time it spent with the 880 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron at CFB Summerside. In 1990, Tracker 12131 was retired from service, and application was made to the Department of National Defence to have the Tracker added to the Air Force Heritage Park P.E.I.

This memorial, a Grumman Tracker aircraft, is marked by a plaque erected on 6 September 1987.

Erected by local residents, this memorial is dedicated to all who have served in human conflicts.

This special memorial was erected to honour airmen who died while training in Prince Edward Island under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) of the Second World War. Thousands of individuals attended the BCATP schools in three Island locations – Summerside, Charlottetown, and Mount Pleasant. A total of 98 names appear on the monument – 32 from Royal Canadian Air Force Station Summerside, 44 from Royal Canadian Air Force Station Charlottetown, and 22 from #10 Bombing and Gunnery School in Mount Pleasant. The majority of casualties were the result of airplane crashes. The memorial has etchings of the principal types of aircraft used in Prince Edward Island for training purposes – Harvard, Anson, and Bolingbroke. 

The Millennium project to erect the memorial was spearheaded by Errol Laughlin and Eric Campbell, who searched for the names of the airmen who lost their lives while training on the Island. Various individuals, organizations and all levels of government donated to the fundraising effort. The memorial was erected in Memorial Square on June 26, 2000 and was formally dedicated on September 9, 2000. The ceremony included a military parade and a low-level pass by Air Force jets in the missing pilot formation.

Erected by the Imperial Order of the Odd Fellows, this memorial is dedicated to four local men killed during the First World War. The Odd Fellows began fundraising for a monument to be placed on their cemetery lot in 1887. It was constructed by stonecutter Joseph Cox in 1889.

Private James Morrison McKay was killed in action on April 10, 1917. He worked with R. T. Holman, Ltd., the Pioneer and was one of the brightest youths around a newspaper office, honorable in all his actions and willing in his work. He settled in Medicine Hat, Alberta and at the time of enlisting he was the manager of a large fruit company. He enlisted in Medicine Hat with the 175th Battalion, but was later transferred to the 56th. McKay was 34 years of age. Mourned by one brother, Mr. A. S. McKay, of the firm of Brace, McKay & Co., Ltd., and one sister, Mrs. Emery P. Wood, Edmonton.

Lieutenant Metherall was a young man of exceptional ability. He was greatly esteemed and beloved by all. He completed his course in the ministry before enlisting on December 28, 1916. As a lieutenant in the 105th Battalion, he sailed for England in the summer of 1917 and later transferred to the 26th Battalion. Shortly before leaving England for France, he was ordained minister of the Methodist church in London. He was killed in action on June 7, 1918.

Lance Corporal Thomas Hierlihy was well known in Summerside where he was employed for some time as a salesman at Sinclair & Stewart. He was a young man of excellent character, taking a leading part in church and Y.M.C.A. work. He was killed in action on April 15, 1916. 

Private Corney was in his early twenties and was a member of Prince Edward Island Lodge, Imperial Order of the Odd Fellows. Previous to enlistment he was a drug clerk in the store of Mr. P. N. Enman, where his cheery smile and pleasant manner made him a general favorite. Corney enlisted with the original 105th Battalion and was killed in action on August 25, 1918, from a severe bomb wound in the head.

This memorial was erected by local residents in memory of the local war dead of the First World War.