Hamilton Cemetary, Hamilton, Ontario

Constructed in 1923 in memory of WWI veterans.

Twenty thousand Hamiltonians, including 8,000 war veterans, attended the 1923 dedication ceremonies. The monument was erected by the War Graves Commission.

During the Decoration Day services in 1923, two memorial crosses were unveiled as part of the ceremonies. More than 8000 soldiers marched in a parade through the city streets and into Harvey Park where the service was being held. Thousands of residents lined the streets watching the parade, and an estimated 20,000 people were present in the park itself. The bands, which were all together in the park, played hymns such as: Abide with Me, Unto the Hills, and Onward, Christian Soldiers.

Two crosses were unveiled during the service. The Cross of Sacrifice was paid for by the Imperial War Graves Commission to honour the war dead. The second cross was funded by the Canadian Patriotic Fund in memory of the 214 wives, mothers, and children whose loved ones died while fighting overseas.

Once the formal ceremonies were completed, truck loads of flowers that had followed the parade were unloaded and many people placed them on the memorials and on graves in the surrounding cemetery.

The 1923 Decoration Day services were the largest and most successful of all memorial ceremonies since the end of the war.

Brian Henley
Hamilton Spectator, Aug. 16, 1997