Other

The Horse Guard represents all who have served, are serving, and will serve in The Governor General's Horse Guards, its predecessors and those Regiments it perpetuates. It is the Individual soldiers of the Regiment - past, present and future - who, through their valour, commitment to duty, and constant contribution, build its proud and illustrious history, make it great.

It is a permanent reminder that every soldier, regardless of rank, helps the Regiment achieve its greatness and assures The Governor General's Horse Guards are always. The Horse Guard was created by the eminent Canadian sculptor Brett Davis, ARBS, SSC and presented to The Governor General's Horse Guards by Colonel Peter W. Hunter, CD on the occasion of his retirement as Honourary Colonel of the Regiment 8 March 2005.

The Governor General's Horse Guards is a reserve regiment of volunteer citizen soldiers whose illustrious history dates from 1822 when Captain G.T. Denison formed a Troop of Dragoons for a local militia infantry battalion. The Denison family, from the town of Weston, commanded and financed the Troop for many generations. In 1839, the Troop became independent of its parent infantry battalion and was named the Governor General's Body Guard in 1866. In 1936, during a reorganization of the Army, the Mississauga Horse and the Governor General's Body Guard amalgamated to form the Governor General's Horse Guards. The new Regiment activated for overseas duty in 1940, saw action in Italy and subsequently, Northwest Europe, receiving nine battle honours for distinguished performance in the Second World War.

The Regiment's long history and prestigious lineage have made the Governor General's Horse Guards the senior Reserve Armoured Regiment in Canada. The Regiment received its first standard in 1938, still the only one in the Canadian Forces.

During the Second World War, The Toronto Scottish Regiment mobilized a machine gun (M.G.) battalion for the 1st Canadian Division. Following a reorganization in 1940, the battalion was reassigned to the 2nd Canadian Division, where it operated as a Support Battalion, providing machine-gun detachments for Operation Jubilee, the raid on Dieppe, France in 1942. With an additional company of heavy mortars, it operated in support of the rifle battalions of the 2nd Division in Northwest Europe from July 1944 to VE-Day. Soldiers of the regiment also had the honour of mounting the King's Guard at Buckingham Palace in April 1940. Back in Canada a 2nd Battalion served in the reserve army. In 2000, the regiment added a second title in recognition of Her Majesty The Queen Mother's long association a Colonel-in-Chief, a position she had held since 1937. The name of the regiment changed to The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen other's Own).

Universal Carriers such as the one displayed on this monument were employed widely by Canada and British Commonwealth forces during the Second World War. They were typically employed for transporting personnel, equipment and support weapons, and were used as machine gun platforms for the .303 calibre Vickers medium machine gun and the .303 calibre Bren Gun. The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queens Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own), a machine gun and support regiment of the 2nd Canadian Division, 2nd Canadian Corps during the Second World War, employed and relied heavily on these carriers. They were an essential Allied resource for the liberation of Northwest Europe against Nazi forces. The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own), in the beginning, was known as the 75th Battalion. It was raided in 1915 when Lieutenant Colonel SG Beckett undertook an assignment to recruit a battalion for the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The Battalion served in France and Belgium during the Great War, winning a total of 16 Battle Honours. Upon its arrival home in June 1919 the 75th Battalion was dismissed and on 1 September 1921 it was designated The Toronto Scottish Regiment. On 3 September 1939, two days after the Nazi forces invaded Poland, The Canadian Government ordered the mobilization of units. The Regiment was the first complete Canadian unit to land in the United Kingdom during the Second World War. With final victory, the Regiment had earned a total of 21 Battle Honours, and had suffered 425 casualties. 

This monument recognizes all Canadians from the Second World War era who deployed overseas, sacrificed their lives, suffered physical or mental injury, or were the families who supported our soldiers from the home front. In addition, this monument recognizes the role of the Canadian Armed Forces in the liberation of France, Belgium and The Netherlands and the triumph of all that is good. It was made possible by The Toronto Scottish Regiment Foundation and Senate, Max Franzini Family, Lieutenant-Colonel Garry Moore Family, Steve Ernewein Family, Michael Carlson and Family, especially Honorary Colonel Helen Vari, C.M., CLH, OONM, LL.D, LHD, and the George and Helen Vari Foundation.

This tablet was erected by the Toronto Firefighters’ Association Local 113. Many Toronto Firefighters enlisted in the First World War. Captain Charles O. Ardagh of Rose Avenue Hall, enlisted in 1916 despite the fact that he was eligible for his pension and retirement. His two sons had enlisted and he was lonesome for his boys. 

According to departmental records, five firefighters were killed in France between 1914 and 1918. They were: F.G. Fisher, Clarence Kerrigan, Walter Parker, A. Caskie* and Ed Blake* (* These men do not appear on the memorial plaque, but are referenced in the 1960 Toronto Fire Department History Book written by Melville Hodgson as having died in France during 1914-18).

Twenty-three Toronto Firefighters enlisted overseas during the Second World War. Their mandate was to extinguish fires and to protect both life and property in case of fire in Great Britain, Isle of Man, and Northern Ireland, on land, ships and vessels at sea. Their mandate also included both rescue and salvage. Upon arriving in the United Kingdom these men, serving in Companies 1 to 8, took a 4-week training course in various aspects of firefighting. After training was completed, Britain’s National Fire Service withdrew from their stations which were then staffed entirely by Canadians — 143 Professional Firefighters from across Canada enlisted. Canadian Firefighters attended all lull-time fires, as well as any blitz fires. They participated in normal life in England, complete with social and sporting events. They were regarded very highly on the fireground and it was noticed by one Fire Chief that the Canadians were always ready to volunteer for any sticky, dirty job… and they were never happier than when on the fireground.

While in England, there were a few casualties and many injuries. When the war ended, most firefighters returned home to their previous departments. Prior to their departure a farewell party was thrown in Trafalgar Square and they were paid tribute for saving British lives and property. By February 1945, they were back in Canada, along with 20 British brides.

The Harbord Collegiate Institute Second World War Memorial, a stainless steel sculpture by Harbord alumnus Marten Katz, was unveiled on 8 May 2007. This sculpture - 19 feet tall and weighing 3,600 pounds - is a stylized letter H with a severed gap in the middle to symbolize the young lives that were cut short by the war. Etched into the legs of the structure are the names of 52 former students killed during the Second World War.

This window commemorates the Royal Canadian Air Force.

A First World War Memorial was erected at St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church, 258 Royal York Road (then Church Street).

The First World War Honour Roll was unveiled in a small room in the north-west corner of the church. This space was set apart at the suggestion of Dr. Devine and others, “in special memory of our brave boys who left our shores to fight for their King and Country and their God.”

A World Wars Honour Roll was erected at Dufferin Street Baptist Church in memory of those from the congregation who gave their lives in the wars. The building at 1219 Dufferin Street is nos Igreja Assembleia de Deus Ministério de Toronto and it is not known what happened to the Honour Roll.

A memorial roll created by Owen Staples in honour of Danforth Avenue Baptist Church parishioners who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars was donated by Mrs. F.L. Halford and unveiled in 1919 during a dedication service led by Reverend Dr. John McNeil. It hung in the church sanctuary at 60 Bowden Street, Toronto until 2022 when the church donated the memorial to the Canadian War Museum.

A tablet in honour of Bloor Street Baptist Church parishioners who gave their lives in the First World War was unveiled on June 20, 1920, by Brigadier General Gunn during a service led by Reverend W.A. Cameron. The church on Bloor Street was sold on October 15, 1925 and the congregation moved to Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.