On MacDonald Square in Elora, in front of the municipal offices where Wellington Rd 18 meets Geddes St, stands a granite cenotaph “dedicated to the memory of the men of Elora who died in the Great War.”
Front and back, a wreath of maple leaves surrounds the years 1914-1918, over a cross (for sacrifice) and crusaders’ swords (representing a fight for a just cause). In Memorium tops the front. On each side, battles are listed along with the names of The Glorious Dead.
On the back is a verse from John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress:
“My marks and scars I carry with me to be a witness for me that I have fought his battles who now will be my rewarder.” … So he passed over and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.
Left side battles: Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras, Cambrai, Mons. Right side: Ypres, Festubert, Mt. Sorrel, Somme, Vimy.
We remember 20 men: (left side) Charles A Card, Daniel O Card, Robert G Carter, F Keith Clark, Richard H Clark, Lewis Clegg, William W Cuthburt, Garfield Cutting, Stanley Dickinson, James C Fisher; (right side) Harry Halls, Harry Harpin, Fred F MacDonald, John A MacDonald, Archie Miller, Edward Morfee, James Moynihan, Charles McGowan, Harold I Riley, Alfred Vincent.
The project to erect the monument was spearheaded by the Elora War Veterans Association. A war memorial committee canvassed every household for their views on the location. Hunter Granite Works of Simcoe was selected as the contractor. The monument was unveiled at a ceremony on Sunday 10 November 1929 by Margaret Fisher, the first Elora mother to lose a son.
Great War 100 Reads 