In early 2011, Stuart Hodge set out to create a cenotaph to be located in Carp, with the Carp Business Improvement Area receiving funding through the Community War Memorial Program. The West Carleton War Memorial is a black granite structure with a bronze sculpture of a sitting soldier taking a few quiet moments to read (and re-read) a letter from home amid the chaos and rubble of war. The sculpture was made by Ron Cowle, and the memorial was designed by Vanderberg and Wilderboer architects.
The original tablet listed 20 names from the First World War, with first names instead of initials. Two First World War names on the original tablet are not on the current one. The current tablet lists 35 names from the First World War. The pavers on the plaza spell “let us remember” and “nous nous souvenons” in Morse code.
On 28 May 2016, the Carleton Masonic Lodge No. 465 laid the cornerstone for the new West Carleton War Memorial, an ancient ceremony that goes back to the middle ages. Most Worshipful Brother Donald H. Mumby, Past Grand Master Grand Lodge of Canada in Ontario, led the ceremony with the laying of ancient tools; the square, the level and the Plumb rule to ensure the stone was set true. More than 60 Masons were on hand from the following communities: Carleton, Kanata, Orleans, Smiths Falls, Ottawa, Arnprior and Aylmer.
Mumby was then presented with corn, oil and red wine to pour at the base of the stone. The corn represented an emblem of plenty, the wine was an emblem of joy and the oil an emblem of comfort and consolation. He tapped the stone with a mallet cut from an oak beam that was nearly 300 years old as he proclaimed the stone to be dedicated to the glory of the Great Architect of the Universe and in thankful memory of all those who served.
