In their beginnings, the Great War Veterans Association held remembrance ceremonies at temporary memorials erected for each service. A permanent site for remembrance was needed and $8000 was raised by the people of Grand Falls with assistance of the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company. A memorial was designed to replicate the cenotaph in Whitehall, London, and honour those who lost their lives in the First World War.
The unveiling and dedication of the cenotaph was held on Sunday, July 23, 1922, with Governor Harris performing the dedication. The cenotaph was located on the edge of town on Station Road, which was later Lincoln Road, in the area known as Memorial Grounds. The Grand Falls Academy school was built directly behind the cenotaph in 1935.
The cenotaph was later updated to include soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War and the stone engravings were replaced with brass plaques in 1948. In 1966, the names of those who lost their lives in the Korean War were added.
The Memorial Grounds are now a Memorial Park and the center for all memorial activities in the town including Armistice Day and the wreath laying on July 1st.
