For years, this monument was known as the "lost" War Memorial. It is one of the oldest war memorials in the Hamilton area. The majestic granite needle in the Hamilton Cemetery is now part of Her Majesty's Army and the Navy Veterans' Society's annual Decoration Day program.

In the early 1960's, Alfred Smees, Alf H.Collingdon, and a former president of the United Council of Veterans' Associations, were looking for veterans' graves in the cemetery when they came across the monument.

The monument's roots go back to 1894, when Her Majesty's Army and the Navy Veterans' Society took over the plot in the Hamilton Cemetery. It had previously been a burial ground for British soldiers who died between 1862 and 1868. It was than converted into a burial plot for veterans of the army and navy.

Located near the ramparts which date back to the Battle of Stoney Creek, the monument was unveiled on August 8, 1898.

While the reasons why the monument was forgotten remain a mystery, the structure is in excellent condition, except that the lettering is almost indecipherable.

One face bears the inscription, "Erected by public subscription to the memory of the non- commissioned officers and privates of the British Army who died between 1862 and 1868."

On another face are the words, "Sacred to the memory of 39 non-commissioned officers and men of the first Manchester Regiment killed in the defence of Ladysmith, 1900."

A third face bears the tribute to members of the society killed during the First World War in such units as the 11th Field Battery, 16th Battalion, and 92nd Battalion.