The Port Dalhousie Cenotaph
The Port Dalhousie Cenotaph (at the corner of Main and Ann Streets) is dedicated to the Soldiers from Port Dalhousie who died in the two Great Wars.
The Cenotaph Designer and Sculptor
Emmanuel Hahn was the sculptor and designer of the Port Dalhousie cenotaph. Born in Germany in 1881, he moved to Canada with his family at the age of seven. He studied as a sculptor and between 1908 and 1912 was a studio assistant to Walter Seymour Allward, who would go on to gain international recognition for the Vimy Memorial unveiled at Vimy, France in 1936. Hahn helped in the construction of Allward's South African War Memorial. In 1912 he was hired as a modeling instructor at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, where he advanced to head of the sculpture department, until his retirement in 1951. During this time period, along with his wife, Elizabeth Wyn Wood, also a sculptor, he was central to the burgeoning Canadian art movement. They were both personally acquainted with the Group of Seven and they attended the Kingston Conference at Queen's University which led to the formation of the Canada Council. Their works were collected by the National Gallery of Canada. In 1928 they founded the Sculptor's Society of Canada with Frances Loring and Florence Wyle, the women who carved the sculptures on the Henley Bridge, which carries the QEW across 12 Mile Creek and the old canal about a mile and a half upstream from Port Dalhousie.
In addition to War Memorials, he created several civic monuments such as the tributes to Sir Adam Beck and Robbie Burns in Toronto, the memorial to Alexander Graham Bell in Brantford and the bronze statue of the champion oarsman, Ned Hanlan. Hanlan, undoubtedly rowed in Port Dalhousie and was part of the 1903 selection committee that chose Port as the permanent home of the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. The town has hosted the event annually ever since.
Hahn was also an applied artist and engraver who created some of Canada's best known images: the representation of the Bluenose on the Canadian dime, the caribou on the quarter from 1937, and the iconic 'Voyageur' silver dollar, first minted in 1935.
In 1912 he also began an association with the Thomson Monument Company of Toronto. It was there, along with several assistants that he made the many war memorials that are found across the country, from Fernie BC to Lindsay Ontario, Gaspe PQ, Moncton NB and Westville NS. It is noteworthy that none of his designs suggest anything to do with the glorification of war. None show any sense of triumph. None show soldiers charging with fixed bayonets or 'going over the top', as memorials by other artists of the time depicted. Hahn's designs are all memorials to the sorrows caused by war. The soldier atop the Port Cenotaph looks down in sadness at the ground below him, as if he might find there, his fallen comrades......if not for the tragedy of war.
Most of the above information provided by Dorene Inglis
Background History on The Cenotaph, by Bill Stevens
World War One raged on after England declared war on August 3, 1914, bringing Canada, a member of the British Empire into the war, until a cessation of hostilities finally took place at 11 am on November 11, 1918. Over 60,000 Canadians were killed including men from Port Dalhousie. To remember their sacrifice the citizens of our town decided that a cenotaph would be placed in the centre of town. The cenotaph inscription reads: “This Memorial was erected by the People of Port Dalhousie to the glory of God and in grateful memory of those men of Port Dalhousie who gave their lives for King and Empire in the Great War 1914-1918.” The cenotaph bears the names of 20 soldiers who died during the conflict and an additional three who passed away shortly after the armistice. Carved into the back side is a list of battles where they fought: “Ypres, Festhubert, Vimy Ridge, Sanctuary Wood, Passchendaele, Somme, Arras, Mons”. The Town’s seal is on the upper portion of the front face. The soldier on top wears a Canadian First World War army uniform, his head bowed, his helmet held over his heart and the other hand holding a laurel wreath against a cross.
The seven casualties of World War Two were subsequently added. The phrase: “Greater Love Hath no man than this that a Man lay down his life for his friends” is inscribed below their names. On the lower base “1950 Korea 1953” is inscribed to remind us that citizens from Port Dalhousie also fought in that conflict.
The granite monument designed and constructed by the McIntosh Granite Company of Toronto was dedicated on Sunday afternoon November 23, 1924. A huge crowd attended to witness the parade, unveiling and dedication all conducted with full military pomp. The Lincoln Regiment formed the guard for Lieutenant-Governor Henry T. Cockshutt who received the military salute, inspected the guard and unveiled the monument. The 10th Field Battery, Veterans of the1866 Fenian Invasion and of course many of the Great War veterans were in attendance. Port Dalhousie Reeve Robert Henry Johnston expressed regrets for those who did not return and praised all those who had enlisted. The memorial fund had started as early as 1916 after receiving word of the first casualty Harold Rooney who died on June 6, 1916. All the necessary funds were raised by donation with no tax monies being used. The cenotaph has certainly served as a reminder as every year since 1924 there has been a ceremony at the cenotaph.
The Cenotaph itself, was unveiled on Sunday, November 23rd, 1924 at 2:15pm. It contained the names of the 20 men, who died in WWI. The names of those who perished in WWII were added later.
Below are the pages from the dedication service. Click to on each image to enlarge.
The Port Dalhousie Cenotaph (at the corner of Main and Ann Streets) is dedicated to the Soldiers from Port Dalhousie who died in the two Great Wars.
The Cenotaph Designer and Sculptor
Emmanuel Hahn was the sculptor and designer of the Port Dalhousie cenotaph. Born in Germany in 1881, he moved to Canada with his family at the age of seven. He studied as a sculptor and between 1908 and 1912 was a studio assistant to Walter Seymour Allward, who would go on to gain international recognition for the Vimy Memorial unveiled at Vimy, France in 1936. Hahn helped in the construction of Allward's South African War Memorial. In 1912 he was hired as a modeling instructor at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, where he advanced to head of the sculpture department, until his retirement in 1951. During this time period, along with his wife, Elizabeth Wyn Wood, also a sculptor, he was central to the burgeoning Canadian art movement. They were both personally acquainted with the Group of Seven and they attended the Kingston Conference at Queen's University which led to the formation of the Canada Council. Their works were collected by the National Gallery of Canada. In 1928 they founded the Sculptor's Society of Canada with Frances Loring and Florence Wyle, the women who carved the sculptures on the Henley Bridge, which carries the QEW across 12 Mile Creek and the old canal about a mile and a half upstream from Port Dalhousie.
In addition to War Memorials, he created several civic monuments such as the tributes to Sir Adam Beck and Robbie Burns in Toronto, the memorial to Alexander Graham Bell in Brantford and the bronze statue of the champion oarsman, Ned Hanlan. Hanlan, undoubtedly rowed in Port Dalhousie and was part of the 1903 selection committee that chose Port as the permanent home of the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. The town has hosted the event annually ever since.
Hahn was also an applied artist and engraver who created some of Canada's best known images: the representation of the Bluenose on the Canadian dime, the caribou on the quarter from 1937, and the iconic 'Voyageur' silver dollar, first minted in 1935.
In 1912 he also began an association with the Thomson Monument Company of Toronto. It was there, along with several assistants that he made the many war memorials that are found across the country, from Fernie BC to Lindsay Ontario, Gaspe PQ, Moncton NB and Westville NS. It is noteworthy that none of his designs suggest anything to do with the glorification of war. None show any sense of triumph. None show soldiers charging with fixed bayonets or 'going over the top', as memorials by other artists of the time depicted. Hahn's designs are all memorials to the sorrows caused by war. The soldier atop the Port Cenotaph looks down in sadness at the ground below him, as if he might find there, his fallen comrades......if not for the tragedy of war.
Most of the above information provided by Dorene Inglis
Background History on The Cenotaph, by Bill Stevens
World War One raged on after England declared war on August 3, 1914, bringing Canada, a member of the British Empire into the war, until a cessation of hostilities finally took place at 11 am on November 11, 1918. Over 60,000 Canadians were killed including men from Port Dalhousie. To remember their sacrifice the citizens of our town decided that a cenotaph would be placed in the centre of town. The cenotaph inscription reads: “This Memorial was erected by the People of Port Dalhousie to the glory of God and in grateful memory of those men of Port Dalhousie who gave their lives for King and Empire in the Great War 1914-1918.” The cenotaph bears the names of 20 soldiers who died during the conflict and an additional three who passed away shortly after the armistice. Carved into the back side is a list of battles where they fought: “Ypres, Festhubert, Vimy Ridge, Sanctuary Wood, Passchendaele, Somme, Arras, Mons”. The Town’s seal is on the upper portion of the front face. The soldier on top wears a Canadian First World War army uniform, his head bowed, his helmet held over his heart and the other hand holding a laurel wreath against a cross.
The seven casualties of World War Two were subsequently added. The phrase: “Greater Love Hath no man than this that a Man lay down his life for his friends” is inscribed below their names. On the lower base “1950 Korea 1953” is inscribed to remind us that citizens from Port Dalhousie also fought in that conflict.
The granite monument designed and constructed by the McIntosh Granite Company of Toronto was dedicated on Sunday afternoon November 23, 1924. A huge crowd attended to witness the parade, unveiling and dedication all conducted with full military pomp. The Lincoln Regiment formed the guard for Lieutenant-Governor Henry T. Cockshutt who received the military salute, inspected the guard and unveiled the monument. The 10th Field Battery, Veterans of the1866 Fenian Invasion and of course many of the Great War veterans were in attendance. Port Dalhousie Reeve Robert Henry Johnston expressed regrets for those who did not return and praised all those who had enlisted. The memorial fund had started as early as 1916 after receiving word of the first casualty Harold Rooney who died on June 6, 1916. All the necessary funds were raised by donation with no tax monies being used. The cenotaph has certainly served as a reminder as every year since 1924 there has been a ceremony at the cenotaph.
The Cenotaph itself, was unveiled on Sunday, November 23rd, 1924 at 2:15pm. It contained the names of the 20 men, who died in WWI. The names of those who perished in WWII were added later.
Below are the pages from the dedication service. Click to on each image to enlarge.