The Brampton Cenotaph was built on land "re-claimed" from the old Etobicoke Creek and paid for by donations of the citizens and businesses of Brampton. It was designed by Toronto architect Mackenzie Waters and its unveiling by Governor General Lord Willingdon on July 4, 1928, was attended by thousands. In June of 1931, the Imperial Order of Daughters of the Empire presented to the Town of Brampton, a mast and Union Jack to be flown over the monument. A vault in the front of the edifice bears the official crest of the old Town of Brampton and inside are the names of the men and women of Brampton who died, or were killed, in the service of their country.
The symbols expressed on the cenotaph are Service, Sacrifice and Victory. The ornamentation is Roman. Rising in easy steps from a broad and ample base, the die stones bear a projecting tablet. Above is a bronze plaque bearing the crest of the Town of Brampton and above that, carved in perfect relief, is the National Emblem, the Maple Leaf, on each side of which are graceful scrolls. Behind the bronze plaque is a crypt in which is placed a book recording the names and service of those who made the Supreme Sacrifice, and the Wreath of Victory, from which ribbons fall.
The cenotaph expresses a symbol of Service in a gradual rise from the level of inaction through service and sacrifice to great achievement rewarded by the Wreath of Victory. Prior to the cenotaph, Remembrance Day Services were held in the various churches in Brampton and in the Armouries, starting in the year 1919.
The memorial committee consisted of: T. Duggan - Chairman, R. Lowry, R. Conover - Secretary, J. Patterson, F. Wegenast - Mayor, L. Bertram, G. Akehurst - Councillor, H. Campkin, W. Beatty - Reeve, W. Sharpe, N. Powell, W. Brydon, C. Donaldson, J. Conover, D. Heggie, C. McDonald, D. Bull. Members Of The Town Council F. Wegenast - Mayor, W. Bartlett, W. Beatty - Reeve, W. Speirs, J. Harmsworth - Deputy-Reeve, H. Heatley, W. Warr and J. McLaughlin.
The dates for the Second World War and Korean War were added later.
