Kemptville Legion Memorial

The memorial outside the Legion Hall honours those in the Canadian Armed Forces who have served Canada in War and Peace. The original plaque on the entry was replaced during the re-dedication of the Royal Canadian Legion Kemptville Branch #212 building on April 29, 2017.

Historically speaking, the Royal Canadian Legion Kemptville Branch #212 was granted a Charter, dated April 17, 1932, under the authority of the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League as it was known at the time. During the early days of membership within this National Veterans Organization, members held their meetings and social events in the Armoury Building and at other public venues in the Town of Kemptville.

As the local membership base increased, the Kemptville Legion members took that opportunity to design, fund and erect their own meeting hall. The Town of Kemptville Municipal Council kindly provided a parcel of land for the proposed structure at the entrance to Riverside Park and the Legion members began sourcing materials and building supplies to commence erecting the building. It is interesting to note that the majority of the lumber and other building materials came from a military "H" hut at a former Army Camp in Brockville, Ontario, which was dismantled piece by piece and transported to the Kemptville Legion site.

Volunteer labour, donations in kind and fundraising were essential in covering the costs to erect the building and work slowly progressed between 1953 and 1956. The official opening of the Legion Building and Hall took place on Saturday, July 6, 1957. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the Kemptville Centennial Celebrations and in honour of the July 6, 1944 Anniversary of D-Day. However, a cornerstone or dedication plaque signifying the importance of that event, or who or what the building was dedicated to, was not laid or attached to the structure at that time.

On Saturday, April 29, 2017, the executive and members held a Dedication Ceremony in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Building and Hall. To mark the occasion, a special Dedication Plaque was affixed to the building in honour of the courageous men and women of the Town of Kemptville, Oxford-on-Rideau and South Gower, who gave up their lives in military service to Canada and the Commonwealth. The plaque was formally unveiled by Sharon Murray, President, Branch #212, Gord Brown, Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes and North Grenville Mayor David Gordon. The plaque is located to the left of the main entrance doors.

Source: Courtesy of Roy Brown, author.