In April 1917, the Wingham town council proposed taking up a public subscription for a tablet to memorialize the town’s fallen soldiers. Lack of agreement on what form the monument should take, led to town council striking a war memorial committee in 1922. Citizens voted on whether or not Wingham would have a memorial in January and the location of the memorial was selected in April of 1923. The committee accepted sculptor Charles Adamson’s bronze soldier statue in June 1923.
Adamson was one of two Canadian cenotaph artists who were First World War Veterans. He produced only one war memorial design, but it was used three times—Sons of England War Memorial in Toronto, Kenora Cenotaph and Wingham. The statue is of a soldier wearing an open trench coat over top of a sheepskin vest, gripping his rifle barrel with the butt grounded.
The Wingham Cenotaph was unveiled by retired General Sir Arthur Currie on 26 August 1924 and dedicated to the local war dead of the First World War. By mid-September, the entire cost and more was raised for the cenotaph. In November, the Women’s Patriotic Society donated the two electric lamp standards to light up the cenotaph.
In May 1925, a captured German field gun was placed by the memorial, but in 1928, the cannon was moved to the foundry grounds and is now situated at the Royal Canadian Legion. In 1945, a bronze tablet honoring men killed in the Second World War was added. A stone tablet commemorating the Korean War was later added. An Afghanistan inscription was also added.
World War I Maud Hanna - Nursing Sister, C.A.M.C., died after lengthy illness, September 6, 1921, buried at Wingham Cemetery. Gordan Adair - 161st (Huron) Bn, C.E.F., died in accident, in England, November 22, 1917, buried at Bramshott (St.Mary), Church Yard Hants 2 Military Cemetery. Laughlan Aitchison - 1st Bn, 1st Bde, 1st Canadian Division, C.E.F., died of wounds, July 10, 1915, buried at St. Lawrence Cemetery, Ramsgate, England. Wallace Aitchison - 38th Bn, 4th Bde, 4th Canadian Division, C.E.F., died of wounds, April 11, 1917, buried at War Cemetery Bruay France, brother of Laughlan Aitchison. Harry Barker - 58th Bn, 9th Bde, 3rd Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, October 26, 1917, buried at Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium. Herbert Bond - 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, 8th Bde, 3rd Canadian Division, C.E.F., died of wounds, November 6, 1918, buried at Auberchi-Court British Cemetery, France. Leonard Brock - 50th Bn (Alberta Regiment), 10th Bde, 4th Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, June 9, 1916, buried at Adanac Military Cemetery, Miraumont and Pys, France. William Buchanan - 75th Bn, 11th Bde, 4th Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, June 8, 1917, buried at Vimy Memorial, France. Robert Chettleburg - 1st Bn, 1st Bde, 1st Canadian Division, C.E.F., died of wounds, October 6, 1918, buried at War Cemetery Terlincthun, France. Herbert Clark - 47th Bn (Western Ontario Regiment), 4th Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, September 2, 1918, buried at Vimy Memorial, France. William Darnell - 4th (Central Ontario) Bn, 1st Bde, 1st Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, December 29, 1915, buried at St. Quentin Cabaret Military Cemetery, Belgium. Arthur Dovey - 1st Bn Essex Regiment, 37th Division, British Army, killed in action, February 1, 1918, buried at Oxford Road Cemetery, Belgium. Grant Fetterlet - 18th Bn, 4th Bde, 2nd Canadian Division, C.E.F., died in England, February 19, 1919, buried at Bramshott (St. Mary) Churchyard, Hampshire, England. Ross Forsyth - 58th Bn, 9th Bde, 3rd Canadian Division, C.E.F., died of wounds, June 6, 1917, buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, France. Herbert French - 1st Bn, 1st Bde, 1st Canadian Division, C.E.F., died in England, December 24, 1914, buried at Bulford Church Cemetery, England. Paul Gillespie - 9th Canadian Field Ambulance, C.A.M.C., killed in action, September 7, 1918, buried at Fauboug-D'Amiens Cemetery, Arras, France. George Hayles - 58th Bn, 9th Bde, 3rd Canadian Division, C.E.F., died of wounds, June 26, 1917, buried at Lapugnoy Military Cemetery, France. Alex Henry - 1st Bn, 1st Bde, 1st Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, November 6, 1917, buried at The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Register, containing the names of those who fell in Flanders and have no known grave. Edward Helps - 18th Bn, 4th Bde, 2nd Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, March 13, 1917, no known grave. Joseph Holland - 1st Bn, 1st Bde, 1st Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, September 3, 1916, buried at Vimy Memorial, France. Richard Howson - 116th Bn, 3rd Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, August 22, 1917, buried at Aix-Noulette Commonwealth Cemetery, France. Frank Johnson - 47th Bn, 4th Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, August 10, 1918, buried at Warvillers CHYD.EXT, France. Wilbur Johnson - 2nd Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, 1st Canadian Division, C.E.F., died in England, January 29, 1918, buried at Bath (Locksbrook) Cemetery, Somerset, England. Jack Mitchell - 46th Bn, 10th Bde, 4th Canadian Division, C.E.F., died in airplane accident in England, January 24, 1919, buried at Throwley (St. Michaels) Church Yard, Kent, England. George Monk - The Royal Canadian Regiment, 3rd Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, April 9, 1917, buried at Vimy Memorial, France. Edward Murch, 1st Bn, 1st Bde, 1st Canadian Division, C.E.F., died of wounds, April 28, 1917, Boulogne, France. Thomas McDonald - 58th Bn, 3rd Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, November 13, 1917, buried at Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium. Theo McDonald - 58th Bn, 3rd Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, June 15, 1917, buried at Vimy British Cemetery, Vimy, France. Chesley McLean - Royal Flying Corps, (later R.A.F.), died in airplane crash, in England, August 16, 1918, while training there, his plane collapsed and he drowned in the North Sea, his name is inscribed on Hollybrook Memorial in Hollybrook Cemetery, Southampton, England. Oliver Pender - 5th Canadian Siege Battery, 2nd Bde., Canadian Garrison Artillery as Corp Troops, died of wounds, April 21, 1917, buried at Villers Station Cemetery, France. Harry Philcox - 1st Bn, 1st Canadian Division, C.E.F., died of wounds, April 27, 1915, buried at Bailleul Commonwealth Cemetery, France. Alfred Pullen - 27th Bn, 6th Bde, 2nd Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, August 21, 1917, buried at Vimy Memorial, Vimy France. Percy Snyder - 1st Bn, 1th Bde, 2nd Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, June 13, 1916, buried at Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium. Percy Vanner - 18th Bn, 4th Bde, 2nd Canadian Division, C.E.F., killed in action, August 8, 1918, buried at Crucifix Corner Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux, France. Harvey Willis - C.A.M.C., died in England, September 26, 1917, buried at Shorncliffe Cemetery, Kent, England. Since Died - Fred Aldington, Norman E. Nicholls, Arthur Shropshall.
World War II Leslie Adair - 156 Squadron, R.A.F., Path Finder Force, killed in action, January 3rd, 1944, age 21, his name is inscribed on Runneymede War Memorial, Engleefield Green Egham Surrey, England, no known grave. Percy Biggs - 32 Operational Training Unit, R.C.A.F., killed in airplane crash, December 16, 1942, buried at Wingham Cemetery, Wingham, Ontario. William Groves - Irish Regiment of Canada, 11th Bde, 5th Canadian Armoure, Division, died at Victoris Hospital, London, Ontario, October 24, 1945, buried at Wingham Cemetery, Wingham, Ontario. R. McKenzie Habkirk - 620 Squadron, R.C.A.F., killed in action, August 5, 1944, buried at Tilley-Sur-Seulles War Cemetery, Normandy, France. Carl Hart - Black Watch, 2nd Canadian Division, killed in action, December 24, 1944, buried at Groesbeek Canadian Cemetery, Nijmegen, Holland. William Kew - R.C.A.F., Died at Christie Street Military Hospital, March 12, 1946, buried at Wingham Cemetery, Wingham, Ontario. George T. King - #1 Operational Training Unit, R.A.F., Station Silloth, England, killed in action, age 25, May 24, 1942, no known grave, his name is inscribed on Runnymede War Memorial Englefield Green Egham Surrey, England. Preston Lediett - Seaforth Highlanders, 2nd Bde, 1st Canadian Division, died of injuries, August 27, 1944, buried at Montecchio War Cemetery, Italy. George H. Lloyd - #1664 Heavy Conversion Unit, R.C.A.F., killed in action, March 4, 1943, buried at Stonefall Cemetery Wetherby Rd Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. James McKague - 6th Field Regiment, R.C.A., 2nd Canadian Division, killed in action, August 17, 1944, buried in Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, France. William H. Pym - #166 Squadron, R.C.A.F., killed in action, July 4th, 1943, buried at War Cemetery Heverlee Brabant, Belgium. Clifford Taman - 7th Canadian Medium Regiment, R.C.A., killed in action, August 8, 1944, buried at Bretville Sur-La-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, France. George Wheeler - #207 Squadron, R.C.A.F., killed in action, February 25, 1943, buried at war Cemetery at Durnback, Germany.
