Manitoba

The Franklin Cenotaph was erected by the Franklin Red Cross Workers to commemorate five local men who died in the First World War. Later names were added to honour those who died in the Second World War. 

The Great War Memorial Committee was formed in 1920 for the purpose of erecting a memorial for the Veterans who lost their lives while serving in the Great War. In March 1921, a decision was made on the monument and an order was placed with Guinn & Simpson Company Limited of Portage La Prairie. Farmer’s volunteers to haul cement, gravel and stone free of cost to the committee. 

The statue was made in Italy of Carrara marble and designed by Guinn & Simpson Company Ltd, Marble & Granite Dealers of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. On 26 July 1921, they sent a letter to the committee that the statue of a solider had left Italy. The soldier is in webbing (personal load-carrying equipment) and wearing a helmet. He stands at attention with his left leg slightly advanced and a reversed rifle at his side. The origin of the statue in Italy explains why the uniform was not 100% accurately Canadian. The carvers were usually careful to put a maple leaf where Canadian uniforms had this symbol (on the cap and collar).

On 24 August Guinn & Simpson shipped part of the memorial consisting of the rough bases to Foxwarren. The statue arrived in Montreal in August and on 5 October the remaining parts of the memorial were shipped by train. The Foxwarren Cenotaph was unveiled on 11 November 1921.

This street was named in honour of LCol William George Barker, VC.

The Crandall cenotaph was erected shortly after the end of the First World War by the Crandall Women's Patriotic Society. The exact date is unknown. For many years, Remembrance Day services were held at the Crandall Cenotaph. Now, however, as the numbers grow much smaller, Remembrance Day services are only held in Miniota. A small ceremony was held at the Crandall Cenotaph July 1, 2000 as a part of Crandall's 2000 Reunion. At that service a presentation was made to the community by Mr. Stuart Johnson who puts in many hours at the Brandon Airforce Museum in Brandon, Manitoba. This presentation consisted of a display board of pictures of local airmen lost during the war, along with a brief history of each, where they served and in what capacity, where they were killed and where they were buried.

Erected in 1923 by First World War veterans, this memorial was originally dedicated to the local veterans of the First World War. Plaques were later added to commemorate the Second World War and the Korean War.

The Bowsman monument is shaped very much like a familiar building form, but rendered somewhat exotic by its placement on the ground – it is really a small dome with a classical lantern and cross rising to the sky. The memorial gains even greater distinction through the contrasting use of concrete for the rectangular elements and a finishing of cobblestones on the curved elements.

In October 1927, a monument was erected in Birtle, in what is now the Minicipality of Prairie View, in commemoration of soldiers from the local area killed during military service.

This airport was named in 1998 in honour of Lt. Colonel Barker V.C.

After the First World War, Veterans and community members of basswood and District remembered those who had lost their lives in the service of King and Country by inscribing their names on a granite and concrete memorial erected in the center of the village. The cenotaph was unveiled at a ceremony on 2 September 1923. Embedded in the front is a carved sword pointing downward. At the top of its handle, a bronze dove appears to be bursting from the memorial.

Following the Second World War, a stone with names of those from the district who lost their lives were added. During the First World War, 98 men and one woman from this area served and during the Second World War 108 men and 16 women served.

When the local Legion and Ladies Auxiliary closed in 1973, their funds were donated to the perpetual care of the cenotaph.

The Lansdowne War Memorial was constructed in 1926 and dedicated to the men of Lansdowne Municipality who fell in the First World War. The fifteen foot sculpted figural memorial is made of white Italian marble, the two base stones and the plinth are of Scotch grey granite. The die and large pedestal are Scotch Balmoral red granite on the face of which are engraved names of heroes and memorable battles. The whole memorial is erected on a concrete foundation six feet deep.

Name of those who fell in the Second World War were added later.

Unveiled on 11 November 1927 in a well-attended ceremony, this memorial was the product of local fund-raising by a municipal War Memorial Committee. The memorial is dedicated to the local war dead of the First World War.

The marble statue of a First World War soldier was made in Italy. The details of the collar, epaulettes, and buttons of the helmeted figure have real depth. The fabric of tunic has been sculpted to look pliable, like a real garment over flesh and bone. The face of the figure includes modeling of the cheekbones and chin, the expression in the eyes, and even the hair.

The memorial was originally located in front of the church at the corner of Highway 5 and 3rd Avenue before it was moved to its current location in front of the Community Centre.