THE WAY WE WERE: Torontonians remember

Mike Filey
Published Nov 10, 2018  •  1 minute read
Join the conversation
Prior to the construction of the present Cenotaph in front of Toronto’s Old City Hall, citizens placed flowers and wreaths at a temporary wooden “cenotaph” located where the present cenotaph would be erected in 1925. This photo was taken prior to the 1922 Armistice Day gathering and is from the City of Toronto Archives. Interestingly, the idea of erecting a proper and permanent cenotaph in front of the main entrance to City Hall had actually been proposed by Mayor Tommy Church two years earlier. It wasn’t until July 24, 1924, that the city’s Board of Control agreed that a permanent war memorial be erected and then selected the design submitted by the Toronto architectural firm of Ferguson and Pomphrey. The estimated budget was set at $25,000. The architects’ fee would be $2,500 with $17,800 the amount tendered by McIntosh Granite of Toronto, the supplier of the grey granite stone from Stanstead, Que. Imagine, a city project that actually came in under budget. (City of Toronto Archives)
Prior to the construction of the present Cenotaph in front of Toronto’s Old City Hall, citizens placed flowers and wreaths at a temporary wooden “cenotaph” located where the present cenotaph would be erected in 1925. This photo was taken prior to the 1922 Armistice Day gathering and is from the City of Toronto Archives. Interestingly, the idea of erecting a proper and permanent cenotaph in front of the main entrance to City Hall had actually been proposed by Mayor Tommy Church two years earlier. It wasn’t until July 24, 1924, that the city’s Board of Control agreed that a permanent war memorial be erected and then selected the design submitted by the Toronto architectural firm of Ferguson and Pomphrey. The estimated budget was set at $25,000. The architects’ fee would be $2,500 with $17,800 the amount tendered by McIntosh Granite of Toronto, the supplier of the grey granite stone from Stanstead, Que. Imagine, a city project that actually came in under budget. (City of Toronto Archives)

Since 1925 citizens of all ages, cultures and walks of life have gathered every Nov. 11 at Toronto’s iconic cenotaph that stands proudly in front of Toronto Old City Hall.

Story continues below

Here, they remember those who gave their lives in two world wars, the Korean War as well as during the Afghanistan conflict and various peacekeeping missions. Prior to that Nov. 11, 1925 event, when services were held for the first time in front of a newly constructed and permanent cenotaph, Armistice Day (a title that reverted to Remembrance Day in 1931) services took place in front of a “temporary” cenotaph in front of city hall that had been erected a few days prior to Nov. 11.

Recommended Videos

In this photo, taken on July 14, 1924 a crowd of nearly 5,000 is seen gathered in front of City Hall to watch as Field Marshal Earl Haig, the Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces during the Great War, tap into place the cornerstone of Toronto’s new Cenotaph. In the right background are two of the TTC’s Peter Witt streetcars on Queen St. while in the middle background is the James St. entrance to the T. Eaton department store. Tough to find a man in this photo who isn’t wearing a hat! (City of Toronto Archives)
In this photo, taken on July 14, 1924 a crowd of nearly 5,000 is seen gathered in front of City Hall to watch as Field Marshal Earl Haig, the Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces during the Great War, tap into place the cornerstone of Toronto’s new Cenotaph. In the right background are two of the TTC’s Peter Witt streetcars on Queen St. while in the middle background is the James St. entrance to the T. Eaton department store. Tough to find a man in this photo who isn’t wearing a hat! (City of Toronto Archives)

Those particular services were first held in 1919 since, as one can imagine, citizens were far too busy on November 11 of the previous year to pay homage to those who would never return to celebrate.

The design of Toronto’s iconic war memorial was selected from 50 submissions by a trio of judges, one of whom was J.E.H. MacDonald, a founder of Canada’s famous Group of Seven. Even before the new cenotaph was unveiled on Nov. 11, 1925 by Baron Byng of Vimy, Governor General of Canada and Commander of the Canadian Corps in France it faced controversy when numerous military personnel demanded the original inscription on the monument, “To All Who Served”, be changed to “To Our Glorious Dead.” Their reasoning? The term cenotaph describes a monument that honours those buried elsewhere. (City of Toronto Archives)
The design of Toronto’s iconic war memorial was selected from 50 submissions by a trio of judges, one of whom was J.E.H. MacDonald, a founder of Canada’s famous Group of Seven. Even before the new cenotaph was unveiled on Nov. 11, 1925 by Baron Byng of Vimy, Governor General of Canada and Commander of the Canadian Corps in France it faced controversy when numerous military personnel demanded the original inscription on the monument, “To All Who Served”, be changed to “To Our Glorious Dead.” Their reasoning? The term cenotaph describes a monument that honours those buried elsewhere. (City of Toronto Archives)
The cenotaph in London, England is the national War Memorial for the United Kingdom and originated as a memorial to the British losses in the 1914-1918 war. Lutyen’s solemn and dignified design was built of Portland Stone and was finished in time for the November 11, 1920 service of remembrance and to mark the interment of the British “Unknown Warrior” at Westminster Abbey. Subsequently, it became the location for the United Kingdom’s annual national ceremony of Remembrance each November. The design of Toronto’s cenotaph was selected as a tribute to the Great Cenotaph pictured here.
The cenotaph in London, England is the national War Memorial for the United Kingdom and originated as a memorial to the British losses in the 1914-1918 war. Lutyen’s solemn and dignified design was built of Portland Stone and was finished in time for the November 11, 1920 service of remembrance and to mark the interment of the British “Unknown Warrior” at Westminster Abbey. Subsequently, it became the location for the United Kingdom’s annual national ceremony of Remembrance each November. The design of Toronto’s cenotaph was selected as a tribute to the Great Cenotaph pictured here.

LEST WE FORGET

See also: torontosun.com/author/mike-filey

MFiley@postmedia.com

Loading...
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Trending
Read Next
Page was generated in 0.2774350643158