In 1901, the Town of Midland purchased 10 acres of land to be used for a park area. Mr. William Finlayson, a First World War Veteran, approached the Town on December 26, 1926, about setting money aside for a memorial to be built on this site. The Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire donated the other half of the money required to complete the memorial.
It was installed in April or May of 1927 and officially unveiled on June 1, 1927 and dedicated to those who gave their lives in the First World War. Later, inscriptions were added for the Second World War and Korean War. The memorial is the location that Royal Canadian Legion Branch 80 holds its ceremonies.
In 2021, members from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 80 and Huronia Museum — with the help of some Georgian College students — researched all of the names that appear on the cenotaph and compiled biographies for an online memorial. This project led to the discovery of numerous inaccuracies on the monument:
J.D. Chalifoux is incorrectly written as J. Jelifo.
William Jondrow mistakenly appears as W. Gendro.
George Sanders is misspelled as G. Saunders.
Walter Strathearn is incorrectly spelled W. Streatharn.
