Leamington’s cenotaph was first erected in 1939

By C. Scott Holland

Leamington’s cenotaph — honouring its war dead — has a history as unique as the area.

The current cenotaph in Memorial Park is not the original location.

In 1921, the town created a small graveyard site at Lakeview Cemetery to commemorate those area men and women who died fighting in the Boer War and WW1. The large monument with its many names came later.

The Leamington Legion began a drive in the early 1930s to raise funds to have a proper monument created and erected to honour Leamington and Mersea’s men and women whose lives were lost in ‘The Great War.’

A view of a large crowd attending the original war memorial in front of the Baptist Church in 1980.

Photos courtesy of C. Scott Holland Collection

By 1939, Leamington’s council joined the campaign and enough funds were raised to complete the task.

The town owned a small triangle of land in front of the First Baptist Church and it was on this piece of property that the new monument would be placed.

The area would be roughly 15 by 18 ft. with a four-foot foundation for the 14 ft. high Canadian gray granite monument.

The stone monument was made by Frank J. O’Heron (owner of O’Heron Monuments) and would contain the phrase: ‘Lest We Forget. In memory of the men and women of Leamington and Mersea who served in the Great War and gave their lives for King and country — 1914-1918.’

The cenotaph as it looked in 1974, with Legion President al Hodgins and Leamington Mayor Ralph Nicol pictured.

It was unveiled on Oct. 22, 1939 with Leamington Legion Br. 84 president Dr. H. R. Nicklin presiding and over 1,500 citizens attending the ceremony along with 300 area WW1 vets who survived the conflict. Mrs. John Bell whose son sacrificed his life in WW1, stepped up and removed the Union Jack from the monument to reveal it.

The monument would be moved as Talbot St. West underwent a couple of changes throughout the years but would stay in front of the Baptist Church until 1988, when a new monument site was proposed for the Legion’s Memorial Park.

Back then, there were two options for its positioning on the south side of the park.

The present day War Memorial at Memorial Park with the Poppy Monument at its base.

Option one was facing NE and situated near the corner of Princess and Mill St.

Option two was closer to the south side parking lot. The Legion chose the spot where it sits today and at the first ceremony that year, the only part of it regretfully missing was a special poppy memorial, which was being created in Michigan.

Legion President Al Hodgins presided over the ceremonies and the subsequent ceremonies have gone rather well, often drawing large crowds to honour our heroes of all wars.