Brampton War Memorial

 
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
   
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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