After the First World War, Veterans and community members of basswood and District remembered those who had lost their lives in the service of King and Country by inscribing their names on a granite and concrete memorial erected in the center of the village. The cenotaph was unveiled at a ceremony on 2 September 1923. Embedded in the front is a carved sword pointing downward. At the top of its handle, a bronze dove appears to be bursting from the memorial.
Following the Second World War, a stone with names of those from the district who lost their lives were added. During the First World War, 98 men and one woman from this area served and during the Second World War 108 men and 16 women served.
When the local Legion and Ladies Auxiliary closed in 1973, their funds were donated to the perpetual care of the cenotaph.
