The Grey Monument was unveiled at a ceremony on November 2, 2019, and blessed by Reverend Canon Nick Wells with water brought by guests to the ceremony after they were invited to do so. It recognizes Grey County’s three local military units that served in the First World War: the 31st Regiment and the 147th and 248th Battalions.
Carved by Sanderson Monuments, the nearly four-meter-tall granite statue of a soldier was based on a photo of local soldier Oliver Alexander. He was born in Hoath Head, Ontario and lived in Owen Sound when first he, and then his brother William Alexander, enlisted at the end of high school. He joined the 147th Grey Battalion, later serving in the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles and 43rd Canadian Infantry Battalion. Oliver was wounded at Passchendaele, when a machine gun bullet fractured his left elbow on October 26, 1917. He returned home to Owen Sound after the war, married Adda Mae Morrow and raised a family. A post office worker before the war, he rose to become postmaster of Hanover. Oliver also served in the Second World War with the Royal Canadian Air Force.
His brother William, who joined the 248th Grey Battalion and then the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, was struck by shrapnel in his left leg, hip and scalp near Hill 70 in France on December 29, 1917. It was during trench repair duty that he was hurt and he suffered a serious infection. He was discharged on November 7, 2018 and went through most of his life with shrapnel in his hip. William's son Bob Alexander worked as a mechanic with the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during the Korean War and served 30 years with the Grey and Simcoe Foresters.
During the First World War Grey County sent thousands of citizens to the battlefields of Europe to serve King and Country. Many never returned to their homes, and all were forever changed by their experiences. Life in Grey County was never the same. The monument was erected by Grey Roots Museum & Archives with support from Veterans Affairs Canada, Sanderson Monuments, community partners and public donations.