In 1924 St. Catharines formed a committee and began collecting funds for a war memorial through public donation. People entered St. Catharines by way of the Burgoyne Bridge, so the land adjacent to the bridge was chosen as home to Memorial Park and the cenotaph. The location was fitting since the Merritt House, also known as Oak Hill, was located nearby. It had previously been used as a Military Convalescent home for wounded First World War soldiers.
McIntosh Marble and Granite Company of Toronto was hired to create the cenotaph. It is comprised of a large column constructed out of brick and granite, mounted atop a concrete plinth, set on terrace level steps. At the top, front of the column is the St. Catharines crest and on the reverse side is a maple leaf. A Crusader’s sword runs down the front of the column, symbolizing struggle and represents the cross of Christ. The sword is placed above discarded soldier’s equipment, which includes a canteen, pack and helmet, signifying items the soldier no longer needs and the end of a struggle.
A scroll-like ornamentation is at the base of the column. A furled flag and maple leaf grace each side of the cenotaph, and the symbols of the different units that fought in the Great War are found encircling the structure. On the bottom plinth are two carved crosses. Originally there was a large reflecting pool at terrace level in front of the cenotaph, but it was removed in late 1930.
It was unveiled at a grand ceremony held on August 7, 1927, by Brigadier General W.B.M King, who commanded the 10th Brigade of the third Canadian Field Artillery Battery during the struggle for St. Julien at the second battle of Ypres in 1915. Morning church services were held at 10 am instead of the usual 11 am and were followed by a Lincoln Regiment parade. The march began at the armories and ended at Memorial Park where the regiment (under command of Capt. Fred Collins) lined up as an honour guard for Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), who attended to perform the wreath laying ceremony. The Prince had been accompanied by a royal party which included: Prince George, British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, and the Right Honourable Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada.
Masses of people gathered, lining the streets and sidewalks. War Veterans and family members of fallen soldiers were given a special section to observe the ceremony. W.B.M. King, Commander of the St. Catharines unit first under fire in 1915, was given the honour of unveiling the cenotaph by pulling a cord to release the large Union Jack flag.
Inscriptions recognizing the Second World War, Korean War, Peacekeeping (2006) and the Merchant Navy were added later. In July 2009 a heritage conservator hired by the City of St. Catharines revealed that the St. Catharines Cenotaph was in need of significant restoration. In the fall of 2012, a team was hired to remove its top to review the interior condition. It was a solid core, concrete with very little wear, which meant what looked like slightly shifted granite blocks were in fact, intact. Those granite blocks have been slightly out of plumb since the original build of the cenotaph in the 1920s.
The masonry work required was completed in time for Remembrance Day Ceremonies in 2012. In 2013, the final repointing was done on the cenotaph stairs, as part of the accessibility work and the landscaping completed. The costs to repair the St. Catharines Cenotaph were significant, but community support assisted in offsetting the costs to taxpayers.
