In 2001, elements from the original Belleville Cenotaph were incorporated into the centre piece of the new cenotaph. It is flanked to the left by a First World War stone, a peacekeeping stone and the Thurlow Cenotaph. A Second World War stone, a Merchant Navy/Korean War stone and an Afghanistan stone flank the right.
In July 2019, three names were added to the First World War stones: ace pilot Flight Sub Lieutenant Ellis Reid, infantry officer Lt. David Forneri and Nursing Sister Florie Forneri. A dedication ceremony took place at 1 pm in Memorial Park on Sunday, July 28, 2019. John Stewart LeBaron engraved the three names. He is the supervisor of cemetery lettering for Belleville’s Campbell Monument – and the Forneris’ cousin.
In the fall of 2018, LeBaron’s grandfather, John Geen, realized the names were missing from the cenotaph. Neil Burrell, a Belleville historian who had put together the display, and another local historian, Loyalist College graduate Robyn May, dug through historical records to prove they had been born in Belleville and died while serving in the war. Reverend Dr. Allan Miller, another local resident, then told May and Burrell about pilot Flight Sub-Lieut. Ellis Vair Reid.
The names may have been left off the cenotaph because their families moved away from the city before the war broke out, so they would not have thought to submit the names of their fallen loved ones when the Belleville Cenotaph was built.
These three engraving were not the first change to the cenotaph. When a new Second World War stone was engraved in 2001, some names were corrected and three added. Within a year or two, Stanley Ernest Dainard was added to the same stone.
