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L.T.R.H. Gray, V.C., D.S.C., R.C.N.V.R. 1917-1945

In honoured memory of Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray V.C., D.S.C., Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve. The last Canadian to be killed in action during the Second World War. Lieutenant Gray from Nelson, B.C. died when his corsair aircraft was shot down as he fearlessly led a carrier air strike against the ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy at Onagawa Bay on August 9th, 1945.

The Remembrance Wall was dedicated during a ceremony on Sunday, September 25, 2011 in Salmo Community Memorial Church. The wall consists of photographs and information about local young men who were killed in the Second World War. The two years of research for this project was completed by Jean Stahl.

Fruitvale Memorial Centre first opened on 25 June 1954. It was built in memory of those who served in the First and Second World Wars. It began as a project of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch No. 196 and was completed under the direction of the Fruitvale Welfare Society. It is owned by the Village of Fruitvale. In the fall of 1999 the Hall was closed as a result of serious roof damage. The newly renovated hall was reopened on 14 November, 2000. The cost of the renovation was $1,200,000.00.

This memorial is dedicated to those who served in the First and Second World Wars. It was erected by the Boy Scouts.

The Salmo Community Memorial Church was built in 1952. Construction commenced in the summer of 1949 and it was completed by Christmas 1952. The Salmo Ladies’ Aid initiated the drive and raised the first funds as early as 1937.

Not only was it constructed as a place to worship, but its was dedicated to the memory of local men who were killed in the Second World War. Every year on the Sunday before Remembrance Day, the Honour Roll of fallen soldiers from Salmo Valley is read. The names and photos of these young men can be seen in the church on the Remembrance Wall.

Erected in 1989 by the village of Kaslo, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 74, this memorial is dedicated to local veterans.

The Kaslo Cenotaph was originally erected in 1922 to honour the men who fell during the First World War. Later, additions were made for those who fell in the Second World War and Korean War.

The Grand Forks Cenotaph was constructed in 1921 in memory of those who sacrificed their lives in the First World War. The polished grey granite Cenotaph was constructed by Alexander Ritchie, Campbell & Ritchie Mon. Co., in Nelson, British Columbia. Dedications to those who sacrificed their lives in the Second World War and the Korean Conflict were also added. The names of those who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars are inscribed on the Cenotaph.

This memorial is dedicated to those who served in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. It was erected by the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch No. 196, in 1955, to replace an old one erected in 1946. The committee included Doug Hames, Bud Smith, Jack Startup, and Frank Kalusik.

Excerpt from the Cominco Magazine, November 1955:

THEY WILL NOT FORGET: FRUITVALE DEDICATES A NEW CENOTAPH A simple cenotaph stands on the outskirts of Fruitvale. Nearby, stately trees mount guard, their branches raised as though in salute to the fallen heroes which it honours. The neatly gravelled approach, concrete base and fieldstone upright look fresh and new to the passer-by. They are new. The cenotaph was unveiled September 25 as hundreds gathered to see the red ensign fall away and to hear the solemn words of dedication. It was a sunny afternoon. Gentle breezes in the branches overhead set in motion a flickering fretwork of light and shadow on the little park. Along the highway they came – the people of Fruitvale and others, from Trail and Salmo, from Nelson and Castlegar … and beyond. They came quietly, reverently. The stirring sound of bagpipes heralded the parade. Behind the Balmoral Pipe Band marched servicemen, veterans, and many more … Canadian Legion ladies, Scouts, Cubs, Guides, Brownies and those to whom that day held special meaning; relatives of the men named in bronze on the cenotaph itself. Following words from the Scriptures and a prayer, the Chairman of Fruitvale’s Village Commissioners, C. Haines, stepped forward. Briefly he told of the cenotaph’s history, the thoughts behind its erection. Then he drew the red ensign aside and Legion Branch Padre, Reverend W. Edington, a hand laid on the unveiled stone, pronounced its dedication. F. M. Smith read the roll call of those who fell in two World Wars. Two wreaths were laid; the first, for the mothers of sons fallen, by Mrs. T. Wood and the second, for the Fruitvale Branch of the Canadian Legion, by D. C. T. Haines in his capacity as President. A bugler sent the sad notes of the Last Post echoing across the valley as the Colour Guard dipped their colours. A joyous Reveille sounded the end of two minutes silence. There was more to the ceremony, including an address by the Padre. But perhaps the most impressive moment of all came when, with one voice, the crowd joined in singing the hymn, “O! Valiant Hearts.” “…Tranquil you lie, your Knightly virtue proved, Your memory hallowed in the land you loved… No, they will not forget their fallen…in Fruitvale!

The Edgewood Great War Veterans’ Association was formed in October of 1919. A special meeting was held where J. P. Coates presented plans for a monument to honour the men of the area who had lost their lives in the First World War. In February 1920, permission was granted to build the monument at Valley Road and Edgewood Avenue.

Stone mason, J.N. McLeod, cut the granite for the monument from a local rock cliff and with the help of brick layer, Frank Warner, it was built that fall. Mountain ash, maple and chestnut trees were planted along the streets in 1921, as another gesture towards the fallen.

Forty-two years later the monument was moved to Lakeshore Avenue, the new Edgewood Townsite. Every stone was numbered as it was taken out, and replaced in exactly the same order.