Selkirk Arena and Memorial Hall

In February 1946, a group of people (representing more than two dozen community organizations) came together under the chairmanship of Louis G. Howard to form the Selkirk and District Memorial Committee. Their objective was to decide on a suitable memorial to the servicemen and women of the region who died in the Boer War, First World War, and Second World War. They reached the conclusion that a ‘living memorial’ in the form of a new community hall would be best.

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On the evening of January 17, 1952, Memorial Hall was officially opened and dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives in the Boer War, First World War and Second World War. The chapel was dedicated the same night, after wreaths had been laid by the city and veterans’ organizations. Rev. R. N. R. Holmes, an active navy chaplain during the Second World War, performed the blessing. Items in the small chapel include a Book of Remembrance containing the names of those who died, a stained-glass window, and the bell from the HMCS Daerwood. More recently, it became home to the 108 Battalion War Memorial bronze tablet. Memorial Hall was so popular that in October 1952, community organizations were notified that they had to book space at least six weeks in advance for their events. Otherwise, space would not be available. Since the city would be running Memorial Hall, Louis G. Howard presented the keys for Memorial Hall to Mayor Steve Oliver on January 28, 1952. Howard’s committee work did not end there, as it still had a $10,000 debt that needed to be retired. A new fundraising campaign began in February 1952, which took more than a year to complete.

Inscription

Selkirk Arena and Memorial Hall

In February 1946, a group of people (representing more than two dozen community organizations) came together under the chairmanship of Louis G. Howard to form the Selkirk and District Memorial Committee. Their objective was to decide on a suitable memorial to the servicemen and women of the region who died in the Boer War, First World War, and Second World War. They reached the conclusion that a ‘living memorial’ in the form of a new community hall would be best.

_x000D_

On the evening of January 17, 1952, Memorial Hall was officially opened and dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives in the Boer War, First World War and Second World War. The chapel was dedicated the same night, after wreaths had been laid by the city and veterans’ organizations. Rev. R. N. R. Holmes, an active navy chaplain during the Second World War, performed the blessing. Items in the small chapel include a Book of Remembrance containing the names of those who died, a stained-glass window, and the bell from the HMCS Daerwood. More recently, it became home to the 108 Battalion War Memorial bronze tablet. Memorial Hall was so popular that in October 1952, community organizations were notified that they had to book space at least six weeks in advance for their events. Otherwise, space would not be available. Since the city would be running Memorial Hall, Louis G. Howard presented the keys for Memorial Hall to Mayor Steve Oliver on January 28, 1952. Howard’s committee work did not end there, as it still had a $10,000 debt that needed to be retired. A new fundraising campaign began in February 1952, which took more than a year to complete.

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