A history of the Brantford Cenotaph
Jocelynn Blacker
Few pay attention to the acre-sized park at the end of Dalhousie across from the Dufferin Armories, despite it being an intricate part of the downtown. But it is also a very important part of this town's history. Every year at this time, local legions and community organizations lay wreaths on the spot and a dedication ceremony to the veterans and servicemen is performed. It is a fundamental part of Remembrance Day in Brantford.
At the end of the 19th century, Brantford offered sons to the Boer War in South Africa, three of which died there. The memorial in Tom Thumb park in front of the armories was dedicated to those three men on May 21, 1903, and was the work of Mr. Hamilton McCarthy of Ottawa. Just over a decade later, World War erupted and was the original event that caused the creation of Remembrance Day. Over the course of that single war, Brantford endured the loss of 701 men and women. In honour of them, the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire commissioned a cenotaph – a monument erected to honour those who died during wartime and whose remains lay elsewhere. It was designed by F.C. Bodley to look like the metals given to the widows and mothers of the soldier who lost their lives for the King and Empire. This monument was later moved to Mount Hope Cemetery, rededicated in 1992. As impressive as these monuments were, the City of Brantford’s citizens felt that we needed a better, more grand dedication to our soldiers.
The current Brantford War Cenotaph which was dedicated in May 25, 1933. The original structure included a center piece and four bronze statues designed by Walter Allward. The ceremony was attended by the Governor-General, The Earl of Bessborough, and Her Excellency the Countess of Bessborough. On the day of dedication, the memorial was incomplete, still missing the four bronze figures. Later in July 1954, after World War II, the memorial was celebrated and rededicated to those who had died. The newly expanded structure included a “Memorial Gallery,” the long horizontal structure which runs west to east behind the tall cenotaph. This gallery was designed by Chas Brooks, a local architect, who made it out of granite.
In September 1992, the monument was further expanded, this time to compensate for the missing statues that were in the original design. The original design for the cenotaph gallery had three bronze statues that were symbolic of the human element of war. According to the blue and gold brochure handed out during the 1933 dedication ceremony, compliments of the Brantford Military Heritage Museum: “...the wounded figure of a recumbent youth gazing up at the cross, while a mother, with head held high, typifies unbroken faith and patriotic fervor; a third figure is in the attitude of prayer.” It also featured a cannon destroyed from warfare. Now seven statues of service men and women stand in front of the Cenotaph, three men and four women. Helen Granger Young was commissioned by the Brant County War Memorial Committee to design the statues.
The Brantford War Cenotaph stands strong as a tribute to the terrible cost of war - a reminder of the human cost of war and the very real impacts on ordinary people who are left behind.