Alderville First Nation Cenotaph
Municipality/Province: Alderville, ON
Memorial number: 35055-028
Type: Column
Address: Highway 45 and Macklin Road
Location: Alderville Memorial park
GPS coordinates: Lat: 44.1815758 Long: -78.0665207
Submitted by: Hellmut Shade. Bob Braley.
Photo credit: Tim Laye, Ontario War Memorials
The Alderville First Nation Cenotaph was unveiled on September 25, 1927, to some 3,000 people to commemorate those who gave so much in the First World War. It was the first structure erected in Canada to commemorate Indigenous service in the First World War. A war in which the Alderville band had one of the highest per capita enlistments in Canada.
The cenotaph was constructed in 1927 by Alf McKeel and Son of Campbellford who supplied the design and donated the materials for the project, while the hard physical labour was supplied by many volunteers. The Indigenous men of Alderville used hand shovels and a lot of muscle power to stir the cement which makes up the cenotaph. Four hundred and sixty-eight tons of concrete was poured raising this unique design to almost 50 feet. The women spent hours cooking and supplying meals for these hardworking volunteers.
McKeel had already constructed a smaller monument in 1923 at Trent River and this basic design followed on a larger scale at Alderville. A description of the design elements of the monument are described on a plaque beside it.
The cube on the very top symbolizes the four corners of the earth. The three globes beneath the cube symbolize the holy trinity. The three large pillars supporting the above symbolize the three holy virtues - faith, hope and charity. The square base on which the cenotaph stands, symbolizes the four freedoms - freedom of speech; freedom of religion; freedom from fear and freedom of the press. The nine large cubes situated around the cenotaph represent the nine men who were killed in the First World War. The chain that is comprised of 35 links that encloses the cenotaph and is fastened to the nine cubes represents the 35 residents who served in that war and at the same time represents eternity.
Originally built to honour the 33 Alderville men who enlisted in the First World War, including the nine who gave their lives, it now commemorates the contributions made by Alderville during the Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam War and peacetime. Restoration of the cenotaph was completed in May 1992 as a co-operative project of the Alderville First Nation and the Rotary Club of Cobourg. A further restoration was completed in 2000 as part of a Millennium Project.
Inscription found on memorial
[plaque]
TO THE HONOUR AND GLORY OF THOSE FROM
THE ALDERVILLE RESERVE WHO SERVED
IN WORLD WAR I 1914 - 1918
- KILLED IN ACTION
- WM. BLAKER
- JOS. BLAKER
- VIC BLAKER
- AUS. BEAVER
- S. COMEGO
- Wm. HAGAR
- W. FRANKLIN
- A. SIMPSON
- ROBT. TOBIGO
- SERVED
- JOHN BEAVER
- ED BEAVER
- ROSS BEAVER
- ISAAC BEAVER
- C. BLAKER
- SAM BLAKER
- H. COMEGO
- A. COMEGO
- P. COMEGO
- S. COMEGO
- ALEX COMEGO
- D. M. CROWE
- S. CROWE
- JOS. CHUBB
- A. CHUBB
- M. MARSDEN
- N. MARSDEN
- R. FRANKLIN
- S. HAGAR
- NOAH SMOKE
- S. SMOKE
- M. SMOKE
- Wm. STEVENSON
- D. WHEELER
- A. TOBIGO
- J. TOBIGO
"THEIR NAMES LIVE FOREVERMORE"
[plaque]
TO THE HONOUR AND GLORY OF THOSE FROM
THE ALDERVILLE RESERVE WHO SERVED
IN WORLD WAR II 1939 - 1945
- KILLED IN ACTION
- ARTHUR BEAVER
- WILBURN CHUBB
- SERVED
- ALVIN BEAVER
- EDWARD BEAVER
- IVAN BEAVER
- WILLIAM BIGWIN
- GEORGE BLAKER
- LAWSON CHASE
- STEWART COMEGO
- GERALD GRAY
- ALVIN HAGAR
- AMOS MARSDEN
- THOMAS MARSDEN
- EVERETT SIMPSON
- ELDON SMOKE
- REGINALD SMOKE
- ROY SMOKE
- VELBURN SMOKE
- LEO SMOKE
- CALVIN SMOKE
- LOUIS GRAY
- JOHN LOUKES
- JAMES SMOKE
- JOHN SUNDA
- WILFORD SUNDAY
- WILFRED SUNDAY
- CECIL TOBICO
- ARTHUR WHEELER
- ALFRED LOUKES
- DANIEL SIMPSON
- Wm. STEVENSON
- EPHRIAM BLAKER
- JOHN BEAVER
- OLIVER CROWE
- WALTER CROWE
- ROBERT FRANKLIN
- FRED MARSDEN
- LAWRENCE MARSDEN
- BRUCE MARSDEN
- BEN CHUBB
- NORMAN MARSDEN SR
- NORMAN MARSDEN JR.
- RAYMOND BLAKER
- LESLIE MARSDEN
- HOWARD SMOKE
- ROBERT MARSDEN
- LEONARD SMOKE
- DELBERT BEAVER
- ALBERT BIGWIN
- CLIFFORD SMOKE
- EARL SMOKE
- STEWART SMOKE
- DONALD SMOKE
- ELMER BEAVER
- BEATRICE SMOKE
- JAMES MARSDEN
- PERCY A. MARSDEN
- BASIL SUNDAY
- MORLEY SUNDAY
- CARL SUNDAY
- CLARENCE SUNDAY
- GERALD LOUKES
- VIETNAM WAR
- DARRELL MARSDEN
- ROBERT BAKER
"THEIR NAMES LIVE FOREVERMORE"
[plaque]
ALDERVILLE FIRST NATION CENOTAPH
THE CENOTAPH WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1927 BY ALF MCKEEL AND SON OF CAMPBELLFORD WHO
SUPPLIED THE DESIGN AND DONATED THE MATERIALS FOR THE PROJECT WHILE THE HARD PHYSICAL
LABOUR WAS SUPPLIED BY MANY VOLUNTEERS. THE NATIVE INDIAN MEN OF ALDERVILLE USED HAND
SHOVELS AND A LOT OF MUSCLE POWER TO STIR THE CEMENT WHICH MAKES UP THE CENOTAPH. THE
WOMEN SPENT HOURS COOKING AND SUPPLYING MEALS FOR THESE HARDWORKING VOLUNTEERS.
SIGNIFICANCE
THE CUBE ON THE VERY TOP SYMBOLIZES THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH. THE THREE GLOBES
BENEATH THE CUBE SYMBOLIZE THE HOLY TRINITY. THE THREE LARGE PILLARS SUPPORTING THE ABOVE
SYMBOLIZE THE THREE HOLY VIRTUES - FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY. THE SQUARE BASE ON WHICH THE
CENOTAPH STANDS, SYMBOLIZES THE FOUR FREEDOMS - FREEDOM OF SPEECH; FREEDOM OF RELIGION;
FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.
THE NINE LARGE CUBES SITUATED AROUND THE CENOTAPH REPRESENT THE NINE MEN WHO WERE KILLED IN
WORLD WAR I. THE CHAIN THAT IS COMPRISED OF 35 LINKS THAT ENCLOSES THE CENOTAPH
AND IS FASTENED TO THE NINE CUBES REPRESENTS THE 35 RESIDENTS WHO SERVED IN THAT WAR
AND AT THE SAME TIME REPRESENTS ETERNITY.
THE LAND ON WHICH THIS CENOTAPH IS SITUATED WAS DONATED BY WILLIAM LOUKES SR.
RESTORATION OF THE ALDERVILLE FIRST NATION CENOTAPH WAS COMPLETED IN MAY 1992 AS A
CO-OPERATIVE PROJECT OF THE
ALDERVILLE FIRST NATION AND THE ROTARY CLUB OF COBOURG
[plaque]
The Year 2000
Restoration Proudly
Supported By
Alderville First Nation &
The Millennium Bureau
of Canada
Street view
Note
This information is provided by contributors and Veterans Affairs Canada makes it available as a service to the public. Veterans Affairs Canada is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the information.
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