The Wiarton Cenotaph was unveiled in 1922. The limestone for the memorial was sent from England and depicts a lone First World War male soldier standing at rest, grasping his rifle in front of him. J.S. Cook & Sons of Wiarton worked to erect the monument at a cost of $3,000. The names of those killed in the First World War were etched into its stone, while names of those who lost their lives in the Second World War were later added. Dates were added for the Korean War and United Nations Peacekeepers were recognized on the inscription.
On May 25, 2024, the community celebrated a project four years in the making to refurbish and rededicate the cenotaph, with the newly installed mural becoming a part of the reimagining midway through. Joe Vanderzand was the Royal Canadian Legion Wiarton Branch 208 president when the project began. Vanderzand first brought concerns about the failing cenotaph infrastructure to Town of South Bruce Peninsula council in 2021.
The restoration work included repointing the soldier memorial, demolishing and removing the old flower beds and retaining walls and rebuilding them, waterproofing the interior concrete of the garden and installing stone veneer on the retaining wall and garden beds. Custom wood bench tops were fabricated for the sitting area around the perimeter of the stone retaining walls.
