Travelling on County Road 4 between Durham and Flesherton in Grey County, turn onto Kincardine St in the village of Priceville to find Cenotaph Park. A soldier stands over a grave marker of logs encircled by a laurel wreath and with poppies growing at the base. The marble statue stands on a granite plinth.
A familiar motif? Indeed. The statue is an imitation of Emanuel Hahn’s Grieving Soldier. Note the differences between the Priceville version and a statue based on Hahn’s original drawings in nearby Hanover.
A 1997 plaque in the park notes that 127 men from the Priceville area served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, of whom 15 were killed and 60 injured. The names on the cenotaph point to Scottish settlement in the area.
The cenotaph was dedicated on 4 October 1921, “in honour of all who served and in loving memory of those who died for the cause of freedom and justice in the Great War, 1914-1918.” Donations from those in the community covered the $2400 cost. The Priceville news in the 13 October issue of the Flesherton Advance* noted:
The ceremony of unveiling the soldiers memorial was carried out successfully on Tuesday of last week, despite the very damp weather prevailing. The concert at night was well patronized, the addresses and recitations were pleasing and interesting, and the musical numbers given by kind friends from Flesherton, Durham and our own village were much appreciated, especially those whose pronunciation of English was distinct and correct.
The cenotaph and park were refurbished in the 1990s, and rededicated on 16 July 1995.
*Local newspapers were also reporting on the nomination of Agnes Macphail in the Grey Southeast riding for the upcoming federal election. She became the first woman elected to the Canadian Parliament on 6 December 1921.
Great War 100 Reads 