Memorial Peace Arch

This memorial is located on the site of the former Peace memorial School which was closed in 2005 and eventually demolished. The huge portico of the school’s entrance was saved as a Memorial Peace Arch. It stands as the main entrance to the 7 1/2 acre landscaped park. The sidewalks in the park are configured in the shape of the internationally recognized Peace Symbol very noticeable from the air.

The Peace Arch has a series of wide concrete steps to the promenade surrounding the monolithic structure. To one side there is a large plinth with two bronze plaques affixed. One commemorates the old school which once stood there and the other outlines its military history when it was used temporarily as a recovery hospital for wounded soldiers returning from France in 1918. It also pays tribute to the fallen and those that have served in all Canada’s wars. The Arch is from an existing portico of huge dimensions, a rug brick and columned Gothic structure circa 1918.

The long Memorial Walk leading east from the Arch ends at a meditation circle which has a Dove of Peace engraved in granite. A place to sit and meditate. The park is blessed with over 140 trees of various types and the walkways at the Arch and along the Memorial Walk are well lit at night to deter vandals and provide a stunning view of the ornate Arch. This memorial was dedicated October 20, 2008.

Inscription

[front left plaque/translate]

CITY OF HAMILTON

PEACE MEMORIAL SCHOOL
1919 – 2003

Peace Memorial School was built in 1919 on donated land in the
former Township of Barton, County of Wentworth. This school was
named as a tribute to those who died on the battlefields of the
First World War. From 1919 – 1921, part of the school was pressed
into service as a military recovery ward, caring for the overflow of
wounded from Mount Hamilton Hospital. In 1919, students from
S.s. No. 7 Barton School on Upper Gage Avenue began attending
Peace Memorial School, grades one to eight. The Hamilton Board
of Education assumed control of the school in 1929. The Second
World War was followed by rapid growth on the mountain. As a
result of overcrowding, six rooms were added in 1948 for the 329
students. Shift classes were inauguratd in 1950, with half the
school attending mornings and the other half afternoons. Eight
additional rooms and a gymnasium were added by 1952 to handle
922 students. Through the years, declining enrollment and
antiquity befell the old school. The Hamilton-Wentworth District
School Board closed Peace Memorial School in June 2003, ending
84 years of education service. The former portico, now an
archway, remains as a tribute to all those who walked its halls.

Remember Them.

City of Hamilton

[front right plaque/translate]

CITY OF HAMILTON

PEACE MEMORIAL PARK

Prior to the demolition of Peace Memorial School in 2005, plans
were formulated to create a neighbourhood park on this site. This
memorial arch relates to ancient Romans, who built such
arches to commemorate famous battles and to remember those
who lost their lives for the cause. This old columned portico
stands proudly today as a memorial to the school and to the
thousands of Canadian men and women who served and gave their
lives in the struggle for peace and freedom. Peace Memorial Park
was established not only as a remembrance to those who served
and gave their lives in the First World War, but also a tribute to
honour the men and women of Canada’s armed forces who have
served their country in war and peace in the 20th and 21st
centuries. Their legacy prevails today in the service of their
committed descendants.

Remember Them.

Donated By The Royal Hamilton Military Institute

City Of Hamilton

Ce monument commémoratif est situé à l’endroit où s’élevait anciennement la Peace Memorial School, fermée en 2005 et finalement démolie. L’imposant portique de l’entrée de l’école a été conservé comme Arc commémoratif de la paix (Memorial Peace Arch). Il sert d’entrée principale au parc aménagé de sept acres et demi. Les trottoirs dans le parc sont configurés selon le modèle du symbole de paix reconnu internationalement, qui est très visible du haut des airs.

L’arc de la paix comprend une série de larges marches de béton menant à la promenade qui entoure la structure monolithique. D’un côté, il y a une large plinthe sur laquelle sont apposées deux plaques de bronze. L’une rappelle l’ancienne école qui se trouvait là auparavant et l’autre décrit les faits historiques, à l’époque où l’école était temporairement utilisée comme hôpital de convalescence pour les soldats blessés qui rentraient de France en 1918. Elle rend aussi hommage aux militaires morts au champ d’honneur et à ceux qui ont servi au cours des différentes guerres auxquelles le Canada a participé. Cet ancien grand portique à colonnes de style gothique fait en briques à face striée et remontant à 1918 environ.

La longue promenade du souvenir (Memorial Walk) qui va vers l’est se termine à un cercle de méditation où l’on peut voir une colombe de la paix gravée dans le granit. Un endroit où s’asseoir et méditer. Le parc est doté de plus de 140 arbres de divers types et les allées près de l’arc et le long de la promenade du souvenir sont bien éclairées la nuit pour décourager le vandalisme et donner une superbe vue de l’arc décoré. Ce monument commémoratif a été inauguré le 20 octobre 2008.

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