Morewood Cenotaph
Municipality/Province: Morewood, ON
Memorial number: 35083-005
Type: Shaft, statue
Address: Main and Mill Streets
GPS coordinates: Lat: 45.1774923 Long: -75.285392
Submitted by: Glenn MacGregor. Morewood Cenotaph Committee.
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.
Inscription found on memorial
[front/devant]
ERECTED BY THE
GLASGOW BROTHERS
(plaque)
1914-1919
ROLL OF HONOR
DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO OFFERED
THEIR LIVES IN HUMANITY’S DEFENCE
IN THE GREAT WAR OF THE NATION
PRIVATE CLIFFORD E. MACKIE 77 BATT. KILLED AT
PASCHENDALE, OCT. 1916, AGED 14 YEARS
PRIVATE WILBURN FETTERLEY 77 BATT. KILLED AT
SOMME, OCT. 31ST 1916, AGED 22 YEARS
PRIVATE LAWRENCE MILLAR 77 BATT. KILLED AT
COURCELETTE, NOV. 18TH 1916, AGED 22 YEARS
BOMB. BERNICE SHAVER 32 BATT. KILLED AT
VIMY RIDGE, MAY 1ST 1917, AGED 25 YEARS
PRIVATE CHARLES MITCHELL 154 BATT. KILLED IN
FRANCE, MAY 3RD 1917, AGED 24 YEARS
PRIVATE MILFORD STEINGBURG 154 BATT. KILLED AT
LOOS, AUGUST 17TH 1917, AGED 18 YEARS
SAPPER HUGH C. MOFFATT 154 BATT. KILLED AT
OUTTERSTEENE, NOV.30TH 1917, AGED 17 YEARS
PRIVATE NELSON GREGOIRE 154 BATT KILLED AT
MARAIS, MARCH 20TH 1918, AGED 26 YEARS
CAPTAIN E. J. GLASGOW 154 BATT. KILLED AT
MARAIS, MAY 9TH 1918, AGED 38 YEARS
PRIVATE PEMBER J. CASSELMAN 154 BATT. KILLED AT
AMIENS, MAY 28TH 1918, AGED 24 YEARS
LIEUT. W.E. DURANT R.A.F. KILLED IN
FRANCE, JULY 2ND 1918, AGED 23 YEARS
SERGEANT EMMERSON SWERDFEGER 154 BATT. KILLED AT
AMIENS, AUG. 8TH 1918, AGED 18 YEARS
PRIVATE CLIFFORD C. HUMMELL 65 BATT. DIED AT
BOULOGNE HOSPITAL AUG. 25TH 1918, AGED 27 YEARS
PRIVATE A.A. ERRATT 154 BATT. KILLED IN
FRANCE, AUGUST 26TH 1918, AGED 24 YEARS
BOMB. BISMARK SHAVER ENGLISH BATTALION KILLED AT
BARAUME, SEPT. 15TH 1918, AGED 30 YEARS
ERECTED BY THE VILLAGE OF MOREWOOD AND VICINITY
(plaque)
1939 1945
PER ARDUA AD ASTRA
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
ROLL OF HONOR
R82867 F/SGT. HERBERT CARL EMPEY
KILLED OVER GERMANY AUG. 28, 1942, AGED 21 YEARS
J21335 F/O GEORGE MCLAUGHLIN
KILLED OVER GERMANY NOV. 18, 1943, AGED 26 YEARS
J90146 P/O FRANCIS SIMON MARCELLUS
KILLED AT YORK-SHIRE, ENGLAND, JULY 14, 1944, AGED 26 YEARS
J95393 P/O DOUGLAS LLOYD MARCELLUS
KILLED OVER GERMANY DEC. 6, 1944, AGED 19 YEARS
ERECTED BY THE VILLAGE OF MOREWOOD AND VICINITY
(base/bas)
KOREA 1950—1953
"THEIR NAME
LIVETH FOR EVERMORE"
Street view
Note
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