Rockwood, formerly Eramosa Township, was the first municipality in Wellington County to build a monument to its fallen soldiers after the Great War. A committee of citizens approached Council with their plans for a memorial on February 17, 1919. William Harris, A. Fraser Auld, John Grieve, Robert Harwood, Norris H. Black, and L. R. Guild proposed that the Township fund all or at least a substantial part of the costs. On July 28, representatives of St. John’s Anglican Church, signed an agreement for the cenotaph to be erected on a corner of the church property, provided that the Township commit to the maintenance of the plot. In a formal resolution on August 4, Council unanimously agreed to these terms.
Rockwood held a special half-holiday for families on Thursday, August 28, 1919, beginning with an unveiling of the monument by William Reid Clark, Bishop of Niagara. Among the speakers was former Eramosa Township Reeve Lieutenant-Colonel John Mutrie, a Veteran whose son Robert John Mutrie had died in Belgium in 1916 at age 33. About 50 Veterans marched from Waterside Park to the cenotaph, and two bands from Guelph came to provide the music. The attendees later walked to the Agricultural Park to enjoy a luncheon, baseball, races, and speeches from local dignitaries.
The cenotaph is built from granite and is decorated with a sword and wreath. In 2000, two wings were added to the memorial in memory of the Second World War.
