Halifax Grand Parade Cenotaph

Unveiling and Dedication of the Cenotaph, 1 July 1929 On Dominion Day 1929, the largest number of citizens ever to gather at the Grand Parade witnessed the unveiling of Halifax’s memorial to her 1360 men and women who had died in the Great War and to all those who had served. Thousands lined the rails around the Parade and crowded into surrounding streets, even mounting roof tops seeking better vantage points. A well-known Scottish sculptor, Massey Rhind, designed the cenotaph. At two minutes of 11 o’clock, a single gun sounded from Citadel Hill, followed by two minutes of respectful silence. Sir Robert Laird Borden, former prime minister, officially unveiled the memorial. The then Minister of National Defence, James Layton Ralston, who had commanded during the war the 85th Battalion, known as the Nova Scotia Highlanders, gave the oration.

The cenotaph is nine-metres tall. The cenotaph front is adorned with the words, In Honour of Those Who Served and In Memory of Those Who Fell. Below those words and above the head of the Britannia Motherhood figure are the years 1914-1918, 1939-1945 and 1950-1953. For the Second World War and the Korean conflict, the years of which were added to the front of cenotaph long after it had been unveiled.

Inscription

[front/devant]
IN HONOUR OF
THOSE WHO SERVED

IN MEMORY OF
THOSE WHO FELL

1914 – 1918
1939 – 1945
1950 – 1953

[rear/arrière]
BATTLE OF BRITAIN – BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
SICILY LANDING – ORTONA
GOTHIC LINE – NORMANDY LANDING
FALAISE GAP – BATTLE OF THE SCHELDT
BATTLE OF THE RHINELAND
THE RHINE CROSSING

[Coat of Arms of Canada]
IN THE CITY ARCHIVES
ARE TREASURED THE NAMES OF
THIRTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY MEN
AND WOMEN WHOSE SACRIFICE IS
PERPETUATED BY THIS MEMORIAL

[right side/côté droit]
SOMME
VIMY
YPRES
HILL 70
PASSENDAELE

[left side/côté gauche]
AMIENS
ARRAS
CANAL DU NORD
CAMBRAI

Dévoilement et inauguration du cénotaphe, le 1er juillet 1929 Le jour de la Fête du Dominion, en 1929, la foule la plus imposante jamais réunie sur la Grande Parade a assisté au dévoilement du mémorial érigé par Halifax à ses 1 360 citoyens – hommes et femmes – morts pendant la Grande Guerre et à tous ceux qui ont combattu. Des milliers de personnes s’étaient amassées le long des balustrades entourant la Parade et dans les rues environnantes, certains étant même montés sur les toits pour tenter de trouver un meilleur point de vue. C’est un sculpteur écossais bien connu, Massy Rhind, qui a conçu le cénotaphe. À onze heures moins deux minutes, un coup de canon a retenti depuis Citadel Hill, suivi de deux minutes de silence respectueux. L’ancien premier ministre sir Robert Lair Borden a dévoilé officiellement le mémorial, et le ministre de la Défense nationale en poste, James Layton Ralston, qui avait commandé pendant la guerre le 85e bataillon connu sous le nom de Nova Scotia Highlanders, a prononcé un discours solennel.

Le texte de l’inscription figure dans la section anglaise.