On 11 June 1914, a replica of the Remembrance and Renewal was unveiled in front of the Memorial Classroom Building. 330 Appleby alumni served during the Second World War, 20 of whom lost their lives.
The memorial was sculpted by Canadian Colin Gibson and donated by Appleby parents Graeme and Sara Thomson. The work is a scaled down replica of the sculpture Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, France, created by Gibson. It has stood outside the since 2003 to remember the bravery and sacrifice of those who served to protect freedom.
The sculpture stands about six feet and features five Second World War soldiers. It commemorates not only the Canadians who fought during the first day of the Allied invasion of occupied France on June 6, 1944, but all who serve their countries, communities, families and Appleby. The sculpture is part of Appleby College’s Memorial Classroom Building Renovation Project.
The sculpture features five military figures in a circular formation looking outward, into the distance. The figures undulate into one another, accentuating the unity and comradeship of those who served Canada at home and abroad. The figures reflect different emotions - one figure depicts leadership, another vigour and alertness, while still another looks somber and reflective. A fourth figure is stepping forward to assist a comrade. Their chiseled features express determination and bravery. The broad shoulders symbolize the heavy weight of responsibility that each man had to bear during this struggle. The figures and features convey that much time has passed since the war, and that modern-day memories of it are fading away as the survivors go to rejoin their comrades in arms.