In 1919, the Woodstock Horticultural Society decided to establish a memorial drive in Southside Park. On May 2, 1919, 150 English Pine oak trees arrived from England to be planted in a circle around the outer edge of the park. A row of maples and elms already existed in this area. The oaks were planted fifteen feet behind them at 40 to 50 feet intervals. Each tree honoured the memory of a local hero with a bronze plaque inscribed with their name. None of the plaques remain. The first tree was planted in May 1919, to honour the late Private Alex Skinner, who was, according to the official records, the first Woodstock boy killed in action.
A year later, discussions were under way between the Horticultural Society and the Parks Board to erect a Memorial Arch at one of the entrances of Southside Park, in memory of the brave men from Oxford who died at the front or in service of the Empire. It was erected in 1925 at the Wellington Street entrance of the park.
