The Alderville First Nation Cenotaph was unveiled on September 25, 1927, to some 3,000 people to commemorate those who gave so much in the First World War. It was the first structure erected in Canada to commemorate Indigenous service in the First World War. A war in which the Alderville band had one of the highest per capita enlistments in Canada.
The cenotaph was constructed in 1927 by Alf McKeel and Son of Campbellford who supplied the design and donated the materials for the project, while the hard physical labour was supplied by many volunteers. The Indigenous men of Alderville used hand shovels and a lot of muscle power to stir the cement which makes up the cenotaph. Four hundred and sixty-eight tons of concrete was poured raising this unique design to almost 50 feet. The women spent hours cooking and supplying meals for these hardworking volunteers.
McKeel had already constructed a smaller monument in 1923 at Trent River and this basic design followed on a larger scale at Alderville. A description of the design elements of the monument are described on a plaque beside it.
The cube on the very top symbolizes the four corners of the earth. The three globes beneath the cube symbolize the holy trinity. The three large pillars supporting the above symbolize the three holy virtues - faith, hope and charity. The square base on which the cenotaph stands, symbolizes the four freedoms - freedom of speech; freedom of religion; freedom from fear and freedom of the press. The nine large cubes situated around the cenotaph represent the nine men who were killed in the First World War. The chain that is comprised of 35 links that encloses the cenotaph and is fastened to the nine cubes represents the 35 residents who served in that war and at the same time represents eternity.
Originally built to honour the 33 Alderville men who enlisted in the First World War, including the nine who gave their lives, it now commemorates the contributions made by Alderville during the Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam War and peacetime. Restoration of the cenotaph was completed in May 1992 as a co-operative project of the Alderville First Nation and the Rotary Club of Cobourg. A further restoration was completed in 2000 as part of a Millennium Project.
