New Glasgow War Memorial

The New Glasgow War Memorial was unveiled on September 25, 1929, in memory of those who lost their lives during the first World War.

A Scottish sculptor named Massey Rhind from Edinburgh designed the Highland bagpiper. He fashioned the piper in the regalia of the authentic uniform of all pipers in the Military Service of the British Empire during World War I.

The historic War Memorial was first commissioned by the Town of New Glasgow and the New Glasgow Gyro Club.

The New Glasgow Gyro, many of whom were veterans, organized a financial drive that resulted in $12,000 being collected. This was a huge sum of money at that time. A citizens committee, including members of the Royal Canadian Legion and the town council, assisted the Gyro Club in selecting and erecting the monument.

The beautiful monument has been seen and admired by many thousands of people over the years, and it is the photographed subject in the area during tourist season. Immigrants from Scotland settled this part of Nova Scotia in 1773, whose largest town is named after the great city of Glasgow. This is where each year, during the Festival of Tartans Celebrations, the sounds of the pipes can be heard among the hills. Therefore, it is fitting that such a monument should be here, reminding us not only of our great heritage, but also, of the many brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for the good of mankind during the First World War.

In January of 1997, The New Glasgow War Memorial Fund set out to raise $30,000 to refurbish the War Memorial. Time and vandals have eroded the piper, and many of the names were missing letters. Nelson Monuments of Sussex, New Brunswick, completed work in July of 1997. In addition to replacing the missing letters from the roll of names, they polished the plague to a shiny bronze and installed a new granite pedestal for the stone.