On 1 May 1917, a choir stall at St. Albans Cathedral was dedicated to the memory of Captain John Hannaford Symons, who had died in Europe while serving in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The dedication was conducted by His Grace George Thorneloe, Archbishop of Algoma, who was assisted by the Bishop of Toronto.
Symons was born on 7 November 1890, son of William Linbury Symons and Georgia Lutz Symons in Toronto, Ontario. He worked as an architect and was a member of the Governor General’s Body Guard militia when he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 3 December 1914. Symons became a captain in the 4th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles, after arriving in Europe. He was reported missing on 6 June 1916 while fighting at Mount Sorrel, near Ypres and presumed to have been killed three days earlier.
