Brampton, Ontario The symbols expressed in
the Monument are Service, Sacrifice and Victory.
Carved from superior quality, very light gray,
Canadian granite, in itself expressing purity,
it is of the pylon type, tall and slender. Raised
above the passing throng, it holds aloft those
symbols and names which recall to the mind
glorious events in Canadian history. The
ornamentation of the Memorial is Roman.
Rising in easy steps from a broad and ample
base, the die stones bear a projecting tablet in
which is the inscription, "To perpetuate
the Memory of our Glorious Dead and to gratefully
recognize the sacrifice of the Men of Brampton in
the Great War, 1914 - 1918." Above this
inscription is a bronze plaque bearing the crest
of the Town of Brampton and, above that, carved
in perfect relief, is the National Emblem, the
Maple Leaf, on each side of which are graceful
scrolls. Behind the bronze plaque is a crypt in
which is placed a book recording the names and
service of those who made the Supreme Sacrifice,
and the Wreath of Victory, from which ribbons
fall. On the reverse of the Memorial, opposite
the tablet, are the truly eloquent and forceful
words, "These thought not of self but gave
their lives for us."
The Memorial expresses a symbol of Service in
a gradual rise from the level of inaction through
service and sacrifice to great achievement
rewarded by the Wreath of Victory.
Committee In Charge
Of The Erection Of The Memorial |
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|
T. Duggan -
Chairman |
R. Lowry |
R. Conover -
Secretary |
J. Patterson |
F. Wegenast
- Mayor |
L. Bertram |
G. Akehurst
- Councilor |
H. Campkin |
W. Beatty -
Reeve |
W. Sharpe |
N. Powell |
W. Brydon |
C. Donaldson |
J. Conover |
D. Heggie |
C. McDonald |
D. Bull |
|
|
|
Members Of The Town
Council |
|
|
F. Wegenast
- Mayor |
W. Bartlett |
W. Beatty -
Reeve |
W. Speirs |
J.
Harmsworth - Deputy-Reeve |
H. Heatley |
W. Warr |
J. McLaughlin |
Prior to the erection of the
Cenotaph, the Remembrance Day Services were held
in the various churches in Brampton and in the
Armories, starting in the year 1919.
The Brampton Cenotaph was built on land
"re-claimed" from the old Etobicoke
Creek and paid for by donations of the citizens
and businesses of Brampton. The unveiling of the
Cenotaph by Lord Willington on July 4, 1928, was
attended by thousands from the area.
In June of 1931, the I.O.D.E. (Imperial Order
of Daughters of the Empire) presented to the
Town of Brampton, a mast and
Union Jack to be flown over the monument.
In the years since its erection, the area
surrounding the Cenotaph has changed many times
but the Cenotaph itself remains untampered.
A vault in the front of the edifice bears the
official crest of the old Town of Brampton, and
inside are the names of the men and women of
Brampton who died, or were killed, in the service
of their country. The dates 1939-1945 for World
War II and 1950-1953 for the Korean War, have
since been added.
The Remembrance Day Service held on the Sunday
prior to November 11th is a municipal service,
organized by the City of Brampton with the
assistance of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Taken from the
Seventy-Fifth Commemorative
Remembrance Day Service pamphlet
Nov. 7th & 11th, 1993
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