At the end of the First World War, the Glasgow Family, whose son Captain Ernest Glasgow was killed in France during the war, wanted to have a lasting memorial for him and to remember all of the soldiers from the Morewood area who were killed in the Great War. Captain Glasgow was a career military man assigned back to Canada as a training officer. He requested to stay in France but had to accept a demotion to lieutenant to remain. The Glasgow family volunteered to pay for a cenotaph.
Fifteen other young men - from ages fourteen to thirty eight - had died fighting for their country and their names are inscribed on the bronze plaque that is mounted on the front of the monument. Originally there were 15 names on the plaque, but research showed that Cheney should have been included. An additional small plaque with his name was commissioned and installed in January 2022.
A Cenotaph Committee of local volunteers was formed in 1919, it was incorporated, the small corner lot in the middle of Morewood was purchased, four blocks of granite and a statute were commissioned, made, delivered and installed in early 1921. The members of the Morewood Cenotaph Committee and the First Directors of the Corporation were Allan Smirle, William Bouck, Albert Glasgow, Ezra Countryman, and Hector Carruthers.
In 1919, the Letters Patent was set up and financed by donations from the Chesterville Royal Canadian Legion Branch 434 and other groups. The contract was signed on March 17, 1919, by J.P. Laurin, Ottawa, Manufacturers of Artistic Memorials. They supplied the four main foundation blocks for the statue at a cost of $3,000. The granite for the base segments were from Stanstead, Quebec.
Who actually carved the statue has not been able to be confirmed. It may have been carved by Canadian retired doctor-turned-sculptor Tait MacKenzie or it may have been carved by an Italian sculptor as the statue is of granite from Barre, Vermont and very talented Italian sculptors worked at the Vermont quarry in the early 1900s. The Ottawa Journal article (dated 13 Aug 1919) announcing the contract, stated that the statue would be carved from granite from Barre, Vermont. The cenotaph was dedicated on July 6, 1921.
During the Second World War, four more young area men lost their lives and their names were added on another plaque. When the cenotaph was first unveiled and the Second World War plaque was not present - the text in that spot reads "Lest we Forget". Later the Korean War dates were inscribed to recognize those who served during that war.
The Morewood Cenotaph Committee honored their fallen on the 100th anniversary - July 6, 2021, by installing a new flagpole, mounting new lights that were connected to the town-lighting-system, installed an interlocking walkway around the cenotaph for accessibility and installed 21 mini-monuments - ten along each side - one for each of those who had given their lives, and one by itself at the back representing all who returned.
