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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

William Lewis Eld

In memory of:

Corporal William Lewis Eld

September 13, 1944

Military Service

Service Number:

A/103173

Age:

27

Force:

Army

Unit:

Irish Regiment of Canada, R.C.I.C.

Additional Information

Son of William F. and Edith F. Eld, of Nanton, Alberta, Canada.

Commemorated on Page 299 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information

Cemetery:

GRADARA WAR CEMETERY
Italy

Grave Reference:

II, G, 8.

Location:

GRADARA WAR CEMETERY is situated in the Commune of Gradara in the Province of Pesaro, at a distance of about 1.5 kilometres from the shores of the Adriatic. To reach the GRADARA WAR CEMETERY from Highway A14 (Bologna-Taranto), exit at Cattolica, which is the nearest town and a seaside resort. The Cemetery is on the main road 5 kilometres south west of the town. The cemetery occupies a unique position on a hillside which was terraced for agriculture, each row of graves taking up one terrace. The site for the cemetery was chosen in November 1944 and it contains the graves of casualties incurred during the advance from Ancona to Rimini (which broke the Gothic Line) and in the heavy fighting around Rimini, which was taken by the Allies on 21st September 1944.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

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  • Grave Markers– Row of markers in the tiered Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

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    Grave Markers
    Grave Markers – Row of markers in the tiered Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– Cross of Sacrifice - Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

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    Memorial
    Memorial – Cross of Sacrifice - Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– View of the Cross of Sacrifice from the tiered rows of Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013

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    Memorial
    Memorial – View of the Cross of Sacrifice from the tiered rows of Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013
  • Grave Marker– Grave marker - Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

    Details

    Grave Marker
    Grave Marker – Grave marker - Gradara War Cemetery - May 2013 ... Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • The Nanton Cenotaph– In 1926 Albert J. Hart was commissioned to create a memorial to honour the memory of those Nanton and District citizens who were killed in action during World War I. The 6.5¿¿ high statue is of Carara Italian marble and features a soldier at rest, with arms reversed in the position that would have been assumed at the burial of a comrade. It rests on a pedestal of B.C. granite. Plaques list the names of those who did not return from both wars. As well, there is a plaque honouring those who served in the Korean War. The location originally chosen for the cenotaph was next to the sidewalk that linked Shaw Street, Nanton's main street, and the Canadian Pacific Railway Station. This was most appropriate as the railway was well used at the time and hundreds of residents and visitors alike would pass the silent soldier during a day. The cenotaph was unveiled August 13, 1927 by the Earl of Haddington. Mayor J.T. Cooper presided over the ceremonies and R.B. Bennett, who would go on to become the Prime Minister of Canada, gave the principal address. Annual Remembrance Day Services have been held at the cenotaph ever since. With the closure of the railway station and the transformation of Railway Avenue into a major highway, the cenotaph's location became less and less appropriate during the latter half of the twentieth century. With the co-operation of Nanton's No. 80 Branch, Royal Canadian Legion, the Town of Nanton, and the Nanton Lancaster Society the cenotaph was carefully dismantled and the statue cleaned. It was then re-erected in Centennial Park at the entrance to the air museum in time for the 2001 Remembrance Day Service. www.lancastermuseum.ca

    Details

    The Nanton Cenotaph
    The Nanton Cenotaph – In 1926 Albert J. Hart was commissioned to create a memorial to honour the memory of those Nanton and District citizens who were killed in action during World War I. The 6.5¿¿ high statue is of Carara Italian marble and features a soldier at rest, with arms reversed in the position that would have been assumed at the burial of a comrade. It rests on a pedestal of B.C. granite. Plaques list the names of those who did not return from both wars. As well, there is a plaque honouring those who served in the Korean War. The location originally chosen for the cenotaph was next to the sidewalk that linked Shaw Street, Nanton's main street, and the Canadian Pacific Railway Station. This was most appropriate as the railway was well used at the time and hundreds of residents and visitors alike would pass the silent soldier during a day. The cenotaph was unveiled August 13, 1927 by the Earl of Haddington. Mayor J.T. Cooper presided over the ceremonies and R.B. Bennett, who would go on to become the Prime Minister of Canada, gave the principal address. Annual Remembrance Day Services have been held at the cenotaph ever since. With the closure of the railway station and the transformation of Railway Avenue into a major highway, the cenotaph's location became less and less appropriate during the latter half of the twentieth century. With the co-operation of Nanton's No. 80 Branch, Royal Canadian Legion, the Town of Nanton, and the Nanton Lancaster Society the cenotaph was carefully dismantled and the statue cleaned. It was then re-erected in Centennial Park at the entrance to the air museum in time for the 2001 Remembrance Day Service. www.lancastermuseum.ca

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