Barrie Cenotaph

The Barrie Cenotaph was constructed in memory of Simcoe County fallen heroes of the First World War and dedicated on June 28, 1922. The cenotaph is unique in that it lists the end of the war as 1919 rather than 1918.  While fighting ceased after German surrender in 1918, those responsible for the monument consider the formal end of the war to be the signing of the Treaty of Versailles - June 28, 1919. The cenotaph was dedicated on this same day in 1922.

Eleven designs were submitted and the design by McIntosh Co., of Toronto, in conjunction with J.F. Murphy, of Barrie was selected. The cenotaph is 23 feet high, with a nine foot statue on the top. The statue is a soldier in uniform, his helmet removed as he places a floral wreath on a crucifix grave that represents a fallen comrade. The main monument is made of Stanstead, Quebec granite and the statue is of Barrie granite. 

Etched on the sides of the cenotaph are emblems significant to the soldiers that include insignia's of Canada's Military Engineers Branch, Royal Canadian Medical Services, Artillery Branch and Air Operations Branch. There are also two numbers, 157 and 177. These are the numbers of two Simcoe County based battalions raised by the Grey and Simcoe Foresters. This group, a Canadian Infantry Regiment, combing groups based in the Owen Sound and Barrie Regions holds a storied history dating back to its formation in September of 1866. They were active in both World Wars and are still operating to this day, maintaining a small museum near the cenotaph.

Two slabs were later added commemorating the fallen heroes of the Second World War, Korean War, and peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan. In 2018, the cenotaph was refurbished and a new base was installed. It was moved a few feet over to sit in the center of the newly constructed platform.

[centre column/colonne du centre]

(front/devant)
1914 – 1919
BARRIE HONOUR ROLL
EMERSON WATSON ARMSTRONG
THOMAS MAXWELL ARMSTRONG
LORNE BRUNTON
WILLIAM BUCHANAN
R. LAURENCE C. BARWICK
GEORGE G. BISHOP
A. M. BALLISTON
Wm D. BOAG WALTER BERRY
ARTHUR E. BELL HAROLD BROWN
ERNEST C. COLES
LEWIS COLE E. A. CRAWFORD
MILTON CUTHBERT
JOSEPH DESOURDIE
ERNEST DELANEY
CLEMENT ETHERINGTON
WALTER G. FRASER
ROBERT WILLIAM FRASER
CECIL FERGUSON
HUGH MACKAY GRASSETT
RUSSEL GORDON
FREDERICK N. GRANDY
CLIFFORD HERRELL
CHARLES VICTOR HEWSON
RUSSELL N. HORSFIELD
WILLIAM HOOK ERNEST HANMER
GEORGE HARRISON
GEORGE L. IRISH
A. CATON JOURDAN
ARTHUR JOHN JOHNSON
WILLIAM KEMP WALTER LAKE
HENRY DOUGLAS LAIDLAW
FRANK DEANE LAWRENCE
GEORGE LIVINGSTONE
JOHN M. LONGMAN
ROBERT A LEECE

IN HONOURED MEMORY OF
THE MEN OF THE TOWN
OF BARRIE AND TOWNSHIPS
OF VESPRA AND INNISFIL
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN
THE GREAT WAR
THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE

(rigth side/côté droit)
BARRIE HONOUR ROLL
THOMAS A. R. LOOKER
WILLIAM O. McCARTHY
EDWIN ARDEN MILNE
RAE BRYDON McCARTHY
E. BASIL GEORGE MORTON
JOHN HERBERT MORGAN
JOHN McDONELL WALTER NUGENT
CLIFFORD NEELANDS
CYRIL O’SHAUGHNESSY
RICHARD PAE ROGER PEPLER
WILLIAM N. PADDISON
STANLEY PENTON
HENRY MARTYN PECK
J. F. PALLING ALBERT QUANCE
GEORGE S. ROGERS
CHARLES ROBINSON
ROBERT J. REID EDWARD J. REID
MARSHALL WILLIAM REID
THOMAS R. SPEERS
SYDNEY SIMMONS
WILLIAM SAUNDERS
FREDERICK IVANHOE TAYLOR
MORLEY THOMAS
WILLARD TOUCHETTE
JOHN HENRY TOMLIN
CHESTER W. THOMPSON
GEORGE VANSITTART
ROY WATSON WALSH
JOHN F. WARNER
CLIFFORD WISEMAN
DALTON WEBB EDWIN WHITE
CHARLES WARD
RALPH P. WEAYMOUTH
ARDAGH C. WEAYMOUTH

(back/arrière)
1914 – 1919
INNISFIL HONOUR ROLL
HAROLD BASSINGTHWAITE
ANTHONY BAILEY
THOMAS BATES FRED BARDEN
STEPHEN BAILEY G. ROY BROWN
WILLIAM L. BLOXHAM
J. PERCY BLOXHAM
SAMUEL A. CROSS
WILLIAM R. COLEMAN
GEORGE COPELAND
CLARENCE CHANTLER
JOHN HARRISON DOUSE
GORDON DOUSE
HENRY CHRISTOPHER DOUSE
SAMUEL DRAPER CHAS S. DYER
CHARLES H. EAGLESTONE
FRED EDWARDS WILLIAM HILL
ERNEST HOOPER
FREDERICK HARRY KELL
JOHN BERTRAM LANG
H. J. MAILEY WILLIAM J. MOIR
WILLIAM G. MILBURN
WILLIAM NIGHTINGALE
LEWIS OSBOND HARRY PORTER
JAMES PICKETT JAS HENRY PURT
W. J. PIERNIGIE
EDGAR RALSTON
JAMES A. RALSTON
HILGARD RAINEY
JAMES DUNCAN REID
ALBERT SPRAGG
JAMES G SUTHERLAND
ALFRED E SWAN ROBERT TODD
NESSFIELD WHARRAM

VIMY PASSCHENDAELE
SANCTURARY WOOD YRES
ST. ELOI CAMBRAI ARRAS
COURCELETTE AMIENS
SOMME BOURLON WOOD
THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVER MORE

(left side/côté gauche) 
VESPRA HONOUR ROLL
FREDERICK BENSON
ERNEST CLOUGHLEY
ERNEST A. FINLAY
FREDERICK HIGGINS
H. ROY HODGSON
GEORGE HODSON
JAMES MILLER JOHNSTON
ARTHUR JACOBS
WILLIAM LANG
HARRY LYFYTT
SIDNEY LENNOX
HARRY LEGGOTT
ROBERT MORGAN
JOHN MUIR
GARNET MAW
M. FRANCIS McAVOY
GEORGE PRINGLE
JAMES HENRY PRIEST
ROY PRATT
WILLIAM PARKE
EDWIN RUFFETT
DARCY REYNOLDS
WILLIAM WARD

[right stele/stèle de droit]

(front/devant)
1939 – 1945
WORLD WAR II
BARRIE HONOUR ROLL

• ANGUS T. McNABB
• JOSEPH D. McVEIGH
• HAROLD A. MILLS
• MURRAY A. C. MILLS
• JAMES ARDEN MILNE
• ERNEST P. MONTSERRAND
• EDWARD STANLEY MOON
• HAROLD M. PATTERSON
• JOHN R. PATTON
• CLAYTON G. PERRY
• WILLIAM H. PORRITT
• ALEXANDER R ROE
• BRIAN H. T. ROLSTON
• STEWART SAMPSON
• JOHN H. SHAW
• JOHN THOMAS SHORTREED
• DOUGLAS S. SIMPSON
• ROYAL SMITH
• VERNON A. SPEARN
• W. L. GEORGE THOMSON
• G. EDWARD WALLACE
• KENNETH P. WEATHERUP
• JAMES O. WELDON
• H. LLOYD WILLOUGHBY
• NORMAN G. WYNES

(bottom/en bas)
1950 KOREAN WAR 1953
LESLIE MERRIL ROBBINS     RALPH DAVID STROUD
KEVIN T. MCKAY - PEACEKEEPER AFGHANISTAN

(back/arrière)
1939 – 1945
WORLD WAR II
INNISFIL HONOUR ROLL
ERNEST A. AIKENS
LLOYD DYER ANNIS
KENNETH J. INGRAM
ROBERT D. INGRAM
ALBERT EDWARD KELLY
CYRIL LLOYD SPROULE
Wm. A. WILLOUGHBY

[left stele/stèle de gauche]

(front/devant)
1939 – 1945
WORLD WAR II
BARRIE HONOUR ROLL

• AMES GORDON BARRE
• LAURENCE I. BEACH
• JAMES O. BURKE
• CLIFFORD W. CARTER
• WALLACE W. CARTER
• NORMAN E. COOK
• DALTON CORBETT
• TOM SPRY CRESWICKE
• DOMINIC D’AMBROSIO
• DONALD O. FELT
• GEORGE A. FIRMAN
• JACK GEDDES
• LEONARD D. GOSNEY
• ELDRED B. HADDEN
• WILLIAM G. HARDY
• CHARLES E. HARWOOD
• GEORGE A. HENSON
• F. ALLAN DIXON
• NORMAN O. HOOPER
• HARVEY R. IRWIN
• GEORGE A. JONES
• WILSON ROSS KNICELY
• F. STANLEY LEGEAR
• CHARLTON G. F. LINDSAY
• EDWARD RONALD LOWE
• GORDON D. MACALLISTER
• RICHARD MACDONALD
• JOSEPH MCBRIDE
• WILLIAM MCCRON
• BORDEN MCCUTCHEON
• ERNEST B. MCCUTCHEON
• FRANK T. MCCUTCHEON
• DALTON A. MCDOUGALL
• GERARD D. MCDOUGALL
• PERKER J. MCMILLIN
• ROBERT .J OROK

(back/arrière)
1939 – 1945
WORLD WAR II
VESPRA HONOUR ROLL
CLARENCE DAVIS
ROBERT E. ELLIOT
J. HANMORE
A. LEO HILTZ
ERIC HILTZ
LEONARD HOGAN
G. WINSTON KNUPP
JOHN ELDON KRAUS
HAROLD STEVEN PARTRIDGE
ROGER A. ROWELL
ROBERT VERNON STEWART