Alderville First Nation Cenotaph

The Alderville First Nation Cenotaph was unveiled on September 25, 1927, to some 3000 people to commemorate those who gave so much in the First World War. It was the first structure erected in Canada to commemorate Indigenous service in the First World War. A war in which the Alderville band had one of the highest per capita enlistments in Canada.

Alf and Clarence McKeel of Campbellford contributed to the design and technical advice on its construction. McKeel had already constructed a smaller monument in 1923 at Trent River and this basic design followed on a larger scale at Alderville. A description of the design elements of the cenotaph are described on a plaque beside it (provided under inscription).

The monument was completed with hard labour of many volunteers. Four hundred and sixty-eight tons of concrete was poured raising this unique design to almost 50 feet. The men used hand shovels to stir the cement which makes up the monument and women spent hours cooking meals for the volunteers.

Originally built to honour the 33 Alderville men who enlisted in the First World War, including the nine who gave their lives, it now commemorates the contributions made by Alderville during the Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam War and peacetime. Restoration of the cenotaph was completed in May 1992 as a co-operative project of the Alderville First Nation and the Rotary Club of Cobourg. A further restoration was completed in 2000 as part of a Millennium Project.

Inscription

[plaque]

TO THE HONOUR AND GLORY OF THOSE FROM
THE ALDERVILLE RESERVE WHO SERVED
IN WORLD WAR I 1914 – 1918

• KILLED IN ACTION
• WM. BLAKER
• JOS. BLAKER
• VIC BLAKER
• AUS. BEAVER
• S. COMEGO
• Wm. HAGAR
• W. FRANKLIN
• A. SIMPSON
• ROBT. TOBIGO
• SERVED
• JOHN BEAVER
• ED BEAVER
• ROSS BEAVER
• ISAAC BEAVER
• C. BLAKER
• SAM BLAKER
• H. COMEGO
• A. COMEGO
• P. COMEGO
• S. COMEGO
• ALEX COMEGO
• D. M. CROWE
• S. CROWE
• JOS. CHUBB
• A. CHUBB
• M. MARSDEN
• N. MARSDEN
• R. FRANKLIN
• S. HAGAR
• NOAH SMOKE
• S. SMOKE
• M. SMOKE
• Wm. STEVENSON
• D. WHEELER
• A. TOBIGO
• J. TOBIGO

“THEIR NAMES LIVE FOREVERMORE”

[plaque]

TO THE HONOUR AND GLORY OF THOSE FROM
THE ALDERVILLE RESERVE WHO SERVED
IN WORLD WAR II 1939 – 1945

• KILLED IN ACTION
• ARTHUR BEAVER
• WILBURN CHUBB
• SERVED
• ALVIN BEAVER
• EDWARD BEAVER
• IVAN BEAVER
• WILLIAM BIGWIN
• GEORGE BLAKER
• LAWSON CHASE
• STEWART COMEGO
• GERALD GRAY
• ALVIN HAGAR
• AMOS MARSDEN
• THOMAS MARSDEN
• EVERETT SIMPSON
• ELDON SMOKE
• REGINALD SMOKE
• ROY SMOKE
• VELBURN SMOKE
• LEO SMOKE
• CALVIN SMOKE
• LOUIS GRAY
• JOHN LOUKES
• JAMES SMOKE
• JOHN SUNDA
• WILFORD SUNDAY
• WILFRED SUNDAY
• CECIL TOBICO
• ARTHUR WHEELER
• ALFRED LOUKES
• DANIEL SIMPSON
• Wm. STEVENSON
• EPHRIAM BLAKER
• JOHN BEAVER
• OLIVER CROWE
• WALTER CROWE
• ROBERT FRANKLIN
• FRED MARSDEN
• LAWRENCE MARSDEN
• BRUCE MARSDEN
• BEN CHUBB
• NORMAN MARSDEN SR
• NORMAN MARSDEN JR.
• RAYMOND BLAKER
• LESLIE MARSDEN
• HOWARD SMOKE
• ROBERT MARSDEN
• LEONARD SMOKE
• DELBERT BEAVER
• ALBERT BIGWIN
• CLIFFORD SMOKE
• EARL SMOKE
• STEWART SMOKE
• DONALD SMOKE
• ELMER BEAVER
• BEATRICE SMOKE
• JAMES MARSDEN
• PERCY A. MARSDEN
• BASIL SUNDAY
• MORLEY SUNDAY
• CARL SUNDAY
• CLARENCE SUNDAY
• GERALD LOUKES
• VIETNAM WAR
• DARRELL MARSDEN
• ROBERT BAKER

“THEIR NAMES LIVE FOREVERMORE”

[plaque]

ALDERVILLE FIRST NATION CENOTAPH

THE CENOTAPH WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1927 BY ALF MCKEEL AND SON OF CAMPBELLFORD WHO
SUPPLIED THE DESIGN AND DONATED THE MATERIALS FOR THE PROJECT WHILE THE HARD PHYSICAL
LABOUR WAS SUPPLIED BY MANY VOLUNTEERS. THE NATIVE INDIAN MEN OF ALDERVILLE USED HAND
SHOVELS AND A LOT OF MUSCLE POWER TO STIR THE CEMENT WHICH MAKES UP THE CENOTAPH. THE
WOMEN SPENT HOURS COOKING AND SUPPLYING MEALS FOR THESE HARDWORKING VOLUNTEERS.

SIGNIFICANCE

THE CUBE ON THE VERY TOP SYMBOLIZES THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH. THE THREE GLOBES
BENEATH THE CUBE SYMBOLIZE THE HOLY TRINITY. THE THREE LARGE PILLARS SUPPORTING THE ABOVE
SYMBOLIZE THE THREE HOLY VIRTUES – FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY. THE SQUARE BASE ON WHICH THE
CENOTAPH STANDS, SYMBOLIZES THE FOUR FREEDOMS – FREEDOM OF SPEECH; FREEDOM OF RELIGION;
FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.
THE NINE LARGE CUBES SITUATED AROUND THE CENOTAPH REPRESENT THE NINE MEN WHO WERE KILLED IN
WORLD WAR I. THE CHAIN THAT IS COMPRISED OF 35 LINKS THAT ENCLOSES THE CENOTAPH
AND IS FASTENED TO THE NINE CUBES REPRESENTS THE 35 RESIDENTS WHO SERVED IN THAT WAR
AND AT THE SAME TIME REPRESENTS ETERNITY.

THE LAND ON WHICH THIS CENOTAPH IS SITUATED WAS DONATED BY WILLIAM LOUKES SR.
RESTORATION OF THE ALDERVILLE FIRST NATION CENOTAPH WAS COMPLETED IN MAY 1992 AS A
CO-OPERATIVE PROJECT OF THE
ALDERVILLE FIRST NATION AND THE ROTARY CLUB OF COBOURG

[plaque]

The Year 2000
Restoration Proudly
Supported By
Alderville First Nation &
The Millennium Bureau
of Canada

Le cénotaphe de la Première Nation d’Alderville a été inauguré le 25 septembre 1927 devant quelque 3 000 personnes pour rendre hommage à ceux qui ont tant sacrifié pendant la Première Guerre mondiale. Ce fut la première structure érigée au Canada pour commémorer le service des Autochtones pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, pendant laquelle la bande d’Alderville avait le nombre d’enrôlements dans les forces le plus élevé par personne au Canada.

Alf et Clarence McKeel de Campbellford ont contribué à la conception et ont donné des conseils techniques sur sa construction. Les McKeel avaient déjà construit un plus petit monument en 1923 à la rivière Trent et le monument d’Alderville suit une même conception de base, mais à plus grande échelle. Une description des éléments de conception du cénotaphe figure sur une plaque au côté du monument (sous l’inscription).

Le monument a été terminé grâce au travail acharné de nombreux bénévoles. Quatre cent soixante-huit tonnes de béton ont servi à construire ce monument unique d’environ 15 mètres. Les hommes se sont servi de pelles à main pour verser le ciment constituant le monument et les femmes ont passé des heures à cuisiner des repas pour les bénévoles.

À l’origine, le monument a été construit en hommage aux 33 hommes d’Alderville qui se sont enrôlés dans les forces pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, y compris les neuf qui y ont perdu la vie. Aujourd’hui, le cénotaphe commémore les contributions des personnes d’Alderville pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale et la guerre de Corée ainsi qu’en temps de paix. Le cénotaphe a été restauré en mai 1992 dans le cadre d’un projet coopératif entre la Première Nation d’Alderville et le club Rotary de Cobourg. Une autre restauration a eu lieu en 2000 dans le cadre d’un projet du millénaire.

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