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Sign in to My VAC AccountTO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND
IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF
ANDREW RONALD GAMBLE AGE 18
AND
GEORGE ALFRED LEGGETT AGE 20
CHUMS WHO FELL TOGETHER AT PASSCHENDAELE NOV. 3RD 1917
THEY "FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT" AND IN THEIR DEATH
THEY ARE NOT DIVIDED
_______________________________
THIS CROSS IS ERECTED BY THEIR PARENTS
The Gamble and Leggett Cross is dedicated to Andrew Ronald Gamble and George Alfred Leggett, both fell at Passchendaele.
These two Perth boys enlisted in the 240th Battalion in September of 1916 and went overseas in May of 1917. They arrived at the front in September with a replacement draft for the 21st Battalion. Both were killed in action on November 3, 1917.
In remembrance with gratitude
Private William Inglis Forsythe
Sept 2 1881 – April 15 1916
7th Battalion B.C. Regiment
#442985
Heather, Devon, Lindsay
Forsythe Ralph
This memorial tree was planted in memory of Private William Inglis Forsythe who was killed during the First World War.
William Inglis Forsythe was born in September 1881 in Cedar Hill, Lanark County, ON. After completing his schooling, he entered the workforce and eventually made his way to British Columbia where he was employed in the lumber industry. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 17 August 1915 in Vernon, BC and was initially assigned to the 54th (Kootenay) Battalion, sailing for England with this unit on 22 November 1915. Once overseas, he was transferred to the 7th (British Columbia Regiment) Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Division.
In early April 1916, the Canadian Corps had taken over British positions extending from St. Eloi to Hooge in Belgium. For much of April, the 2nd Division battled for control of the St. Eloi salient on the right, while the 1st and 3rd divisions in the centre and left, were engaged principally in shelling, patrolling and sniping. It is during these actions that Private William Inglis Forsythe was killed on 15 April 1916. He was buried at the Railway Dugouts Burial Ground, a few kilometres south of Ypres.
In memory of
William (Bill) Hefferman
R.C.N.V.R. WWII 1940 – 1943
Gwen Hefferman
This memorial tree was planted in memory of Able Seaman William James Hefferman, killed during a training exercise during the Second World War.
William James Hefferman was born in 1913 in Wales. He emigrated to Canada in 1928 and following completion of his education, was employed as a millwright in Almonte, ON, before enlisting in the Royal Canadian Navy in 1940. He served at sea on HMCS ASSINIBOINE but was sent to the military hospital in St. John’s, NL, to recuperate after being wounded during a battle with a German U-Boat. After his convalescence, he was assigned to HMCS SOREL. On 26 January 1943, HMCS SOREL was conducting workup training following a major overhaul. Depth-charges were launched as part of the workups but something went terribly wrong and a depth-charge exploded prematurely, spraying the ship with shrapnel. Able Seaman Hefferman was hit in the back and neck, causing massive trauma. He died en-route as the ship desperately raced to Halifax to save his life. He was buried at the Clayton United Church Cemetery in Clayton, ON.
In memory of
Pte Edward Welland Gemmill
of Pakenham circa 1917
Student’s Council- ADHS
This memorial tree was planted in memory of Private Edward Welland Gemmill who was killed during the Battle of Passchendaele.
Edward Welland Gemmill was born in February 1898 in Pakenham, ON. A gifted student, he graduated from high school at the age of 16 and shortly afterwards entered Queen’s University. Cutting short his college studies, he enlisted in March 1917 in Kingston and a month later embarked for England. Assigned to the 38th (Central Ontario) Battalion, his unit sailed for France soon afterwards and took part in many of the Canadian Corps’ actions in the spring- fall 1917 period. By October 1917, the Canadian Corps had been ordered to capture Passchendaele with the initial attack starting on 26 October. It is during this first day of the advance that Private Gemmill was wounded and transferred to a military hospital. He later died of his injuries on the 3rd of November and was buried at the Nine Elms British Cemetery, just west of Poperinge, Belgium.
Scotty Ogilvie, Serv # J/94475
Died: Nov 30, 1944. Age 18
RCAF 429 Sqn. Sgt. Air Gunner
Jimmy Ogilvie, Ser # C/1207
Died: Feb 8, 1942. Age 20
RCAF 400 Sqn. F/L
Donated by
Carey Ogilvie
and
family
[ Note: Though the dedication plaque indicates Scott Ogilvie’s rank as Sgt, Veterans Affairs Canada documents show his rank as Pilot Officer]
This memorial tree was planted in memory of Pilot Officer Scott Ogilvie and Flight Lieutenant James Ogilvie who were killed during the Second World War.
Scott McCrury Ogilvie was born and raised in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. He joined the RCAF soon after his 18th birthday and trained as an air gunner. He was assigned to 429 Squadron, RCAF, flying Halifax bombers from RAF Leeming, 8km west of Northallerton. On 30 November 1944, Ogilvie’s crew was part of a 576 aircraft armada tasked with bombing the German industrial city of Duisburg in the Ruhr valley, near the Dutch border.
Two months earlier, on 24 September, the same crew had taken part in a mission to bomb enemy positions near Calais, when their plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed in Allied-held territory near Quercamps, France; all but one crew member had survived. Such good fortune was not to be with them on their 30th of November mission.
At about 8:00 PM, as their bomber was easing into its final approach to their target, something went terribly wrong and Ogilvie’s aircraft collided with another fully loaded bomber, crashing near Altweerterheide, the Netherlands; there were no survivors. Pilot Officer “Scotty” Ogilvie was buried in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, the Netherlands.
James Manson Ogilvie was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia and joined the RCAF at the outbreak of the Second World War. He initially trained at the Cape Breton airport followed by more advanced training at Trenton, ON. Early in 1940 he was commissioned and served as an instructor at Jarvis, ON and Mossbank, SK. He proceeded overseas in January 1941 and was assigned to 400 Squadron, RCAF.
On 8 February 1942, he and a passenger, Capt M.C. Hawkins, were on a training flight when they collided with a Tomahawk aircraft near RAF Station Odiham, Hampshire; there were no survivors. Flight Lieutenant “Jimmy” Ogilvie was buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery located 50km southwest of London.
CARP
MEMORIAL HALL
The Carp Memorial Hall was constructed in 1921 to honour those who served in the First World War.
In memory of
Sgt Robert Stanley Bowden
38 Bn. Canadian Infantry
410241
26 Feb 1915 - 1 March 1917
The Bowden family
This memorial tree was planted in memory of Sergeant Robert Stanley Bowden.
Robert Stanley Bowden was born on 2 May 1892 in Paddington (London), England. He immigrated to Canada, settled in the Stittsville, Ontario region and was employed as a labourer before enlisting with the 38th (Ottawa) Battalion in February 1915. The Battalion initially trained in the Ottawa and Kingston (Barriefield) area before being ordered to Bermuda to protect the island’s military and naval installations. The Battalion then embarked for England in May 1916 as part of the 12th Infantry Brigade, 4th Canadian Division and by August was occupying positions at the south end of the Ypres Salient, followed by service at The Somme. By December 1916, the Battalion was at Souchez, west of Vimy Ridge, conducting numerous patrols in preparation for the attack on the ridge. It is during one of these patrols that Sergeant Robert Stanley Bowden was killed on 1 March 1917. He is buried Villers Station Cemetery, about 10 km from Arras.
In memory of
Pte Roy Stairs
KIA in Battle of Hill 70 - 1917 (19 years old)
Hal Merrithew's uncle
Hal Merrithew
This memorial tree was planted in memory of Private Roy Stairs who was killed during the Battle of Hill 70.
Roy Sharp Stairs was born on 19 July 1896 in Temperance Vale, New Brunswick. He was employed as a farmer before enlisting in the 115th Battalion, on 26 January 1916. He embarked for overseas service with his Battalion, on 23 July 1916, arriving in England 8 days later. By October 1916, Stairs had been transferred to the 112th Battalion for training, after which he was assigned to the 26th Battalion (New Brunswick), Canadian Expeditionary Force. He joined his new unit in the field in May 1917 and took part in the Battle of Hill 70, near Lens, France. It is during the first day of this battle that Stairs was hit by enemy fire and died on 15 August 1917. With no known grave, Private Roy Stairs is memorialized on the Vimy Ridge Memorial.
Interestingly, Roy Stairs was to become the uncle of The Honourable Gerald Stairs Merrithew (1931-2004), Minister of Veteran Affairs from September 1988 to January 1993.
In memory of
Private Earl Currie
KIA Lens, France
16/08/17 (age 19)
From George, Kevin & Steven Currie
This memorial tree was planted in memory of Private Earl Currie who was killed during the Battle of Hill 70.
Earl Currie was born on 5 March 1898 in Clayton, Ontario, about 10 km west of Almonte. He relocated to Arelee, Saskatchewan at a young age, where he was employed as a farmer’s helper. He enlisted in Edmonton on 29 March 1916, just a few weeks after his 18th birthday, and was assigned to the 202nd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. The Battalion sailed for England in November 1916 and was absorbed in a reserve battalion in May 1917. Soon afterwards, Currie was transferred to the 10th Battalion and took part in the Battle of Hill 70, near Lens, France. It is during the second day of this battle that he was hit by enemy fire and died on 16 August 1917. With no known grave, Private Earl Currie is memorialized on the Vimy Ridge Memorial.
[Entrance]
Veterans’ Memorial Walkway
[Dedication plaque]
The Corporation of the Town of Mississippi Mills
Veterans’ Memorial Walkway
In honour of the Year of the Veteran 2005
Official dedication September 23, 2006
[Vimy Oaks plaque]
Vimy Oaks- Les chênes de Vimy
Certificate of authenticity
The Battle of Vimy Ridge in northern France, April 9th to April 12th 1917, is considered one of the the defining moments in the history of our young country. Where French and British troops had struggled and failed, the Canadians overcame great odds and eventually captured the Ridge at a cost of some 10,000 casualties. Leslie Miller of North Scarborough, Ontario, served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and amidst the carnage and destruction on the battlefield, gathered up a handful of acorns from a partially buried English oak (Quercus robur) on the Ridge as a remembrance. He sent the acorns home to his family with the instructions to “plant them in case I don’t return”. In 1919, Lieutenant Miller did return, was given a 25 acre section of his father’s North Scarborough farm and transplanted the oaks along the borders of his woodlot. He named his farm “The Vimy Oaks”. Today, a number of these majestic oaks are thriving in the same but smaller woodlot and under the close care of Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church who purchased the farm property in 2002 after it had remained unworked for 30 years. There they built their place of worship without disturbing the woodlot.
In January 2014, a group of volunteers now known as the “Vimy Oaks Legacy Corporation”, decided to repatriate the offspring of these original oaks to Vimy Ridge whose oak trees had all been destroyed in the war. Acorn harvests were low that year so cuttings were taken from the strongest trees, grafted onto mature Quercus robur rootstock, and raised by NVK Nursery in Dundas, Ontario, one of Canada’s premier nurseries. Additional saplings were also planted and raised by NVK Nursery the following year from acorn harvested from the Scarborough Vimy Oaks.
This sapling is a descendant of one of the acorns sent home by Leslie Miller from Vimy Ridge.
This pathway is dedicated to all Canadian veterans and the Year of the Veteran 2005.
Almonte’s Veterans’ Memorial Walkway includes a number of significant elements. At either end of the walkway are entrance signs. A rock garden, flag mast and dedication plaque as well as a “Vimy Oak” with explanatory plaque, can be found at the centre of the walkway. And on either side of the path are over one hundred memorial maple trees dedicated to military members with ties to the Almonte area.
