When the First World War was over, the citizens felt the need of a memorial cross and the Ayr War Memorial Committee was formed. The Weigh scales belonging to the Watson factory that stood in the center of Ayr for three-quarters of a century were removed and through voluntary contributions, construction of the cross commenced.
The Department of Militia and Defence, Ottawa, granted permission to the Cross of Sacrifice, designed by Sir Reginald Bloomfield, and advised the committee as to the wording of the inscription. Owing to Bloomfield's design and the simplicity of the cross, no names were to appear on the cross. A rough field boulder was chosen to be sunk as support for a bronze tablet which would contain the names of those who died and this was later carried out in 1923.
The contract between McIntosh Granite Company, Toronto and the committee was signed April 25, 1922, for the cross to be completed by August 1. Forty wagonloads of earth for the surrounding plot was provided by the farmers of the district.
The memorial was unveiled on September 3, 1922. Originally labelled simply as the Soldiers Memorial or Soldiers Monument, now most residents call it the cenotaph. In 1923, a bronze tablet was placed nearby with the 32 names of the fallen; another plaque was added after the Second World War with eight more names.
After a road improvement project at Stanley and Northumberland Streets, the cenotaph was renovated and rededicated on Sunday, November 3, 2019, at 2:00 p.m.
