Richmond, British Columba Constructed in 1922 in memory of soldiers, sailors and airmen from Richmond who died in World War I and World War II. The inscription on the monument reads: "They Died For You". The Origins of the Richmond Cenotaph Richmond, like countless other communities across Canada, was shaken by the experience of World War I. In the years following the armistice, returned veterans' joined together to form the Great War Veterans Association which decided in, February 1921, to erect a memorial to "our fallen comrades of Richmond". A committee was elected for this purpose, and other organizations were contacted: the I.O.D.E., Ratepayers' Association, Red Cross and the Richmond Council. The Memorial Committee applied to the Richmond Municipal Council for a site in front of the relatively new Town Hall and this was granted in November 1921. Reverend A. MacKay, the chairman of the Memorial Committee, appeared before Council on February 20, 1922, to state that the War Memorial would cost $1,612. This included the column, itself, with appropriate lettering, cement base and granite boulders. The cenotaph took the form of a Celtic Cross purchased from The Independent Monument Company. The Council granted the committee the sum of $300.00, and the remaining $1,312 was financed by public subscription and general fund-raising. The cement base was finished by March 15th, 1922, the column erected and the granite boulders lettered for key battles of the Great War. Easter Sunday, April 9th, 1922, was chosen for the dedication ceremony, being very close to the anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge. At the dedication ceremony, the unveiling of the cenotaph was undertaken by Mary and Gordon Hayne, children of James Arthur Hayne, a fisherman from Steveston, who was killed in action in France, May 1917. Initially, there were 22 names inscribed on the memorial and four more were added at a later date. At the end of the Second World War, more names were inscribed on the cenotaph, 32 listed immediately following the war and four more were added in 1949.
The City of Richmond Archives CENOTAPH RESEARCH PROJECT The City of Richmond Archives is currently engaged in a research project to gather information on each of the individuals named on the Cenotaph. Records are being sought from the National Archives and from the community at large. Any errors or omissions that are discovered will be noted and corrections made when the cenotaph is relocated at the conclusion of construction of the new City Hall (est. 2000/2001). The Archives plans both a display and a publication which will feature biographical details for as many of the individuals named on the monument as possible.
People with information about any of the individuals named on the Richmond Cenotaph are
encouraged to contact the City of Richmond Archives at 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond, British Columbia,
Canada, V6Y lR9. We may also be reached via e-mail:
archives@city.richmond.bc.ca
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