Ontario

This Second World War Honour Roll was located just to the left of the chancel in Dorchester Presbyterian Church, 1669 Richmond Street. The church was closed and the Honour Roll was moved to the Royal Canadian Legion Donnybrook Branch 513.

This style of an Honour Roll was designed by A.J. Casson when he worked at Sampson-Matthews, a prominent midtown Toronto lithography and commercial art company.

Christ Anglican Church at 2662 Gideon Drive was demolished in 1999 and the Second World War Honour Roll was moved to the Middlesex Centre Archives. 

This style of an Honour Roll was designed by A.J. Casson when he worked at Sampson-Matthews, a prominent midtown Toronto lithography and commercial art company.

The bell was made in 1887 by MC Shane Bell Foundry, Maryland. The plaque mounted at the front of the memorial recognizes those who served in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. The plaque on top of the wall pays tribute to the first president of this Legion branch and all who served their country.

The 25^th Elgin Battalion of Infantry originated in St. Thomas on 14 September 1866. During the First World War, it provided soldiers for the 91^st Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). After the war, the regiment was renamed The Elgin Regiment and awarded the perpetuation of the 91^st Battalion from the First World War. They carried the Colours of the 91^st Battalion CEF from 1921 - 1935, when these were laid up in Trinity Anglican Church at Southwick Street. The Elgin Regiment were presented with their own Colours on 28 June 1936 by the Regimental Chapter of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire of St. Thomas. The Elgin Regiment was mobilized on 24 May 1940 for service in the Second World War and their Colours were deposited in the church on January 12, 1941.

The Elgin Regiment was converted to armour from infantry on 26 January 1942, and became the 25^th Armoured Regiment (The Elgin Regiment) Canadian Armoured Corps. It was then converted and re-designated as the 25^th Canadian Tank Delivery Regiment, and later 25^th Armoured Delivery Regiment. After the war it became, again, The Elgin Regiment as an infantry regiment and retrieved its Colours from the church in January 1946.  

It was converted again to armour as, first, The Elgin Regiment (27^th Armoured Regiment) on 1 October 1954  and then The Elgin Regiment Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. Once it had become an armoured regiment, the nature of its ‘flag’ would have changed from the two Colours of an infantry regiment to the Guidon of an armoured regiment. The infantry Colours were laid up again when a Guidon appropriate to its status as an armoured regiment was presented on 22 August 1964.   

Then, on 14 August 1997, the unit was converted yet again, this time to engineers as 31 Combat Engineer Regiment (The Elgin’s) on 14 August 1997. Engineer Regiments do not have Colours, and it is assumed The Elgins have retained this Guidon in their armoury. At the time of re-rolling from Armour to Engineers, the Directorate of History and Heritage gave permission for the Regiment to retain its Guidon and to carry it within the garrison, as long as no other Regiments or formations were on parade.   

In earlier times, Colours played a prominent part in many battles. They served to identify units in battle, often marking the focal point of a struggle. Captured Colours were a prized trophy and attracted enemy attention and inspired much gallantry. By the late 19^th and 20^th Century, however, they were no longer carried in battle, but their status as the heart and soul of a Regiment continued, and the laying up of Colours signifies and helps keep holy the memories of the men who sacrificed their lives.

Until its closing in January 2020, Trinity Anglican Church was the resting place of the 91st Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) Colours. The 25^th Elgin Battalion of Infantry originated in St. Thomas on 14 September 1866. During the First World War, it provided soldiers for the 91^st Battalion (CEF). After the war, the regiment was renamed The Elgin Regiment and awarded the perpetuation of the 91^st Battalion from the First World War. They carried the Colours of the 91^st Battalion CEF from 1921 - 1935, when these were laid up in Trinity Church. In earlier times, Colours played a prominent part in many battles. They served to identify units in battle, often marking the focal point of a struggle. Captured Colours were a prized trophy and attracted enemy attention and inspired much gallantry. By the late 19^th and 20^th Century, however, they were no longer carried in battle, but their status as the heart and soul of a Regiment continued, and the laying up of Colours signifies and helps keep holy the memories of the men who sacrificed their lives.

The Colours hung over a side chapel in the church, dedicated to the memory of the regiment and the members it lost. As the 100-year-old Colours were taken down, they fell apart and were beyond saving. The remains were burned with quiet respect and the ashes interred with Lieutenant-Colonel W.J. Green, who commanded the 91st Battalion and was buried at St. Thomas Cemetery.

91st Battalion received its Colours during a ceremony at Pinafore Park on May 24, 1916. The Battalion assembled at the barracks and marched down Ross, Talbot and Elgin streets to Pinafore Park, to the music of its brass, pipe and bugle bands. A large crowd watched their demonstrations of drill and training. The Battalion formed a hollow square and the Colours – the King’s Colour and the Regimental Colour – were presented by the Officer Commanding the No. 1 Military District, Colonel L.W. Shannon, during a drumhead service. The Colours were the gift of R.M. Anderson of St. Thomas, the brother of Captain A.H. Anderson, a Boer War Veteran from the 25th (a St. Thomas battalion).

The 185 feet long Heroes mural was painted by artist Andrew Lewis of London, Ontario and is a tribute to past and present Veterans. The simple field of poppies represents a community that rises up to meet ongoing challenges with an unconquerable spirit of courage.

Elgin's Finest was painted by artist Rikk Johnston and honours the many men from Elgin County's 91st Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force, and the railways which were used to transport soldiers, weapons, and food during the First World War.

The mural depicts a crowd of 20,000 gathered at the Michigan Central Station seeing off 940 men of the 91st Battalion; Union Jack flag; 91st Battalion Regimental Colour; Military Medal, British War Medal, and Victory Medal; a field of poppies; Canadian Red Ensign; and four men of the Collins family that served in the war, two did not return. The artist used a family photo of the men in uniform when he hand painted them. Depicted left to right: Private Roy Robinson (stepson), Provost Corporal W.T. Collins (father), Private Frank Robinson (stepson), and Private Clarence Earl Collins (son).

The Canadian Red Ensign, Canada's flag until 1965, depicted at the far left of the mural is from after 1957. A Canadian National logo is located on the train's engine even though Canadian National Railway wasn't formed until 1919. The tracks were actually owned by the Michigan Central Railway, but the Grand Trunk Railway had access to the station and they likely took the 91st Battalion to Halifax. When painting the crowd gathered at the train station, the artist used a photo of the second troop train that left the station on 25 June 1916.

The colonel who raised the regiment, Colonel W.J. Green, had a lumber mill located in St. Thomas.

The Lansdowne Veterans Memorial honours the Fallen and Veterans of Lansdowne and the surrounding area that used to be Front of Leeds and Lansdowne. In the arch at the entrance of the Veterans Garden, four granite plaques bear the names of 30 local men who lost their lives during the two World Wars and Afghanistan. Commemorative stones were set into the ground, engraved with the names of more than 240 area men and women who enlisted in wartime.

Janet Gaylord, a Royal Canadian Legion Branch 92 member, brought a Veterans Memorial Garden to Lansdowne, a project which took 12 years to complete. In 2006, Corporal Randy Payne was killed in Afghanistan. That same year, Gaylord started work on the Garden. She obtained approval, designed a Memorial Garden on school property, and with her family, did much of the work. It includes a large stone, four granite benches, large flower beds, and an interlocking stone display area. Through grants and assistance, she raised more than $30,000 for the memorial.

The students at Thousand Islands Elementary School see the memorial every day. They helped plant tulips from the Dutch Embassy and in the fall of 2020, painted stones of remembrance placed around the commemorative stones.

Billy Janes was commisioned to paint the mural for the Port Stanley Royal Canadian Legion branch 410 between Aug. 29 and Sept. 2, 2016. The memorial mural on the east side of the local branch measures in at 16 ft. wide by eight ft. tall. The mono-chromatic painting, which resembles a tattoo, uses black, white and grey. Splashes of red on the poppies dot the work. A rope wreath creates a port window effect with a ship inside the window and planes flying over the ship. There is a soldiers, sailors and airman memorial with poppies on the sides of the wreath.

A bronze on granite sculpture by Tyler Fauvelle that commemorates members of the Canadian Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan was unveiled on 9 November 2017. It was commissioned by the St. Thomas War Memorial Site Committee.

This artwork is about connection. A soldier serves Canada far away from home, in Afghanistan. As others have before him, he rests, still alert, and thinks about home, family, comrades, sacrifices made of mind and body. The narratives change, but the conflicts and soldiers of then, now, and tomorrow are all connected, because freedom still has the same price.

The munitions crate blends historical and modern design, so that it can’t be set in time. A Canadian Beaver is featured on the side of the crate. Representing engineering and unwavering perseverance, the beaver is a foundational symbol of Canada, and has long been the mark of Canada’s military engineers.

Visitors are encouraged to sit awhile with this young soldier, and reflect on the bravery, honour, and sacrifice of all those who served and never came home…Who served, but were changed in ways only other veterans can know…Who continue to serve, forever connected to their brothers and sisters in arms.