It’s estimated the memorial was first placed in the cemetery sometime in the 1920s or 1930s. It sits adjacent to the gravestone for Edward O’Hare, an Oshawa resident who died in 1963. He served in the First World War with the Canadian Railway Troops. There are at least 19 First World War Veterans buried in the cemetery.
Lost and forgotten for several decades, it was rediscovered in June 2013 by Branch 637 Chaplain Don Edwards and wife Janice, following a Decoration Day Ceremony. The top part of the memorial's marble Celtic cross has been broken off and fused back on. It’s been vandalized, damaged, the concrete base was cracked and it’s foundation had shifted.
Oshawa’s two Royal Canadian Legions, Branches 43 and 637, worked together to restore the war memorial and eventually we were able to enlist the generous help of the Archdiocese of Toronto through Glorianne Hopper. The archdiocese provided the contractor who repaired and cleaned the monument and put a foundation under it.
It was rededicated November 10, 2018, by members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43 and 637 marking the end of 100th anniversary of the end First World War.
