Monday Monuments and Memorials – War Memorial, Beckwith Township, ON

June 18, 2018 by greatwar100reads 1 Comment

War memorial in Beckwith Park – McDiarmid, Hughton, O’Shea

War memorial in Beckwith Park – McLaren, Dowdall, McMillan, Boreland

War memorial in Beckwith Park – Smith, Officer

Beckwith Township, population about 7600, forms the easterly part of Lanark County, just west of Ottawa. The war memorial erected by the township remembers 12 names, nine from WW1. The monument has moved over the years. It now stands in Beckwith Park, on the 9^th Line about 2 km east of Hwy 15 and Black’s Corners, surrounded by a vast stretch of baseball diamonds and playing fields.

In addition to names and dates of death, the monument gives a hint at how each died.

• Nursing Sister Jessie M McDiarmid, drowned Jun 27, 1918 by German submarine (Llandovery Castle)
• Private Andrew T Hughton, Siberian Expedition, died enroute Oct 29, 1918
• Private Jerry (Jeremiah) O’Shea, 80^th Battalion, killed in action, April 9, 1917
• Private David McLaren, 87^th Battalion, died of wounds Nov 1, 1916
• Driver Herb Dowdall, Divisional Amnunition Column, Nov 9, 1917
• Private Hugh McMillan, 240^th Battalion, killed in action, Aug 30, 1918
• Private Robert Boreland, 180^th Battalion, killed in action, Apr 24, 1915
• Private Cecil Smith, CEF, killed Jul 3, 1916
• Private Arthur Officer, CEF, killed Jun 17, 1915

Local students have compiled biographies of the Beckwith Township denizens who served in WW1, in Beckwith Heroes.