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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

William James Garrow

In memory of:

Private William James Garrow

June 2, 1916

Military Service


Service Number:

475855

Age:

22

Force:

Army

Unit:

Canadian Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment)

Division:

No. 3 Coy.

Additional Information


Born:

May 15, 1894

Son of William James and Mary Garrow, of Oshawa, Ontario

Commemorated on Page 90 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information


Cemetery:
Grave Reference:

Panel 20 - 58

Location:


The Menin Gate Memorial is situated at the eastern side of the town of Ypres (now Ieper) in the Province of West Flanders, on the road to Menin and Courtrai. It bears the names of 55,000 men who were lost without trace during the defence of the Ypres Salient in the First World War. Designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and erected by the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission, it consists of a Hall of Memory", 36.6 metres long by 20.1 metres wide. In the centre are broad staircases leading to the ramparts which overlook the moat, and to pillared loggias which run the whole length of the structure. On the inner walls of the Hall, on the side of the staircases and on the walls of the loggias, panels of Portland stone bear the names of the dead, inscribed by regiment and corps. Carved in stone above the central arch are the words:


TO THE ARMIES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE WHO STOOD HERE FROM 1914 TO 1918 AND TO THOSE OF THEIR DEAD WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE.

Over the two staircases leading from the main Hall is the inscription:

HERE ARE RECORDED NAMES OF OFFICERS AND MEN WHO FELL IN YPRES SALIENT BUT TO WHOM THE FORTUNE OF WAR DENIED THE KNOWN AND HONOURED BURIAL GIVEN TO THEIR COMRADES IN DEATH.

The dead are remembered to this day in a simple ceremony that takes place every evening at 8:00 p.m. All traffic through the gateway in either direction is halted, and two buglers (on special occasions four) move to the centre of the Hall and sound the Last Post. Two silver trumpets for use in the ceremony are a gift to the Ypres Last Post Committee by an officer of the Royal Canadian Artillery, who served with the 10th Battery, of St. Catharines, Ontario, in Ypres in April 1915."

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

Send us your images

  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram June 1916. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Photo of William James Garrow– In memory of the fathers, husbands and sons of the Oshawa Branch of the Silver Cross Women of Canada. From their book titled Book of Remembrance which is held at the Oshawa Public Library.
  • Plaque– This memorial is located in Oshawa, Ontario.
  • Oshawa War Memorial– The Oshawa Ontario War Memorial (1924) was named "The Garden of the Unforgotten". This elaborate memorial was set with stones from each Great War Allied Nation and from the battlefields where Canadians fought. A pair of electric torches were to remain burning, and a copper time capsule box with artifacts from 1924 was buried under the memorial. In 2002, the Memorial Park was redeveloped and today the park incorporates beautiful gardens. A plaque explaining the redevelopment states: "Memorial Park is regarded as hallowed ground for quiet meditation, the enjoyment of music, and especially for honouring our men and women who served in armed conflicts".
  • Memorial– Menin Gate - August 2012 … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– Panel 10 of the Menin Gate - August 2012 … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– Inscription on the Menin Gate - August 2012 … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.

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