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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-029-0532 0 2 4 WHAT’S INSIDE ▸ PTHS member, Robert Taylor, who has done extensive research on war memorials, both in Great Britain and Canada, takes over this issue with a review of the secular war memorials of the Regional Municipality of Durham. The earliest memorial was created in the aftermath of the Boer War. Erected in 1902, the original Newtonville memorial commemorates Captain William Milligan of the 46th Regiment who was killed in action during that war. The first memorial to appear in Pickering Township was unveiled in 1919 in memory of the First World War. The most recent memorial in Durham Region was unveiled 100 years later, in September 2019, to replace an earlier structure dating from 1921. As Taylor concludes: “War Memorials play an important part in the healing process of local populations affected by death in war. PICKERING TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY AUTUMN EDITION VOLUME 32 NUMBERS 1 & 2 by Robert E. Taylor There are 6,293 War Memorials registered with the National Inventory of Military Memorials under the Canadian Department of Veterans Affairs.1 However, as the news article on the next page shows, there is a great concern that Canadians in general are largely ignorant of their country’s involvement in last century’s global wars.2 I made the decision to review the secular memorials found in Durham Region in order to introduce/ reintroduce these important monuments to the current generation who may or may not have a direct connection to them, and therefore may question their meaning and importance to the Region. The following paper is written in a chronological order noting the unveiling of existing Durham Region secular war memorials from 1902 to the present. To begin, what are Secular War Memorials? A secular war memorial is a non- ecclesiastical structure, built to commemorate the human cost of war, located in public spaces, with easy public access to anyone who wishes to visit it. The form can be either symbolic or utilitarian. At the beginning of the twentieth century, what is now the area covered by the Regional Municipality of Durham was made up of a variety of villages and towns across southern Ontario. The attached map outlines the area included in this article. As Canada was firmly part of the British Empire, and a large percentage of the population had been born in the British Isles, many early Canadian families were staunchly in favour of supporting a Defense of the Realm when needed. It is therefore not a surprise that many would volunteer for service and be deployed in world-wide conflicts which affected Britain. Any resulting casualties would be remembered by families, but as wars resulted in larger lists of casualties (known as Rolls of Honour), the losses began to affect larger portions of the population. The modern war memorials began to be appear as the South African Boer War was ending in 1902. As one commentator remarked: “The community memorials that we see throughout regional and rural areas were a part of a phenomena that is generally acknowledged to have started during and after the Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902).”3 By the end THE SECULAR WAR MEMORIALS IN THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF DURHAM: WHAT THEY SAY 2 of the Boer War the British and Commonwealth troop causalities were 22 000 dead and 23 000 wounded.4 Still a Dominion of Britain twelve years later, Canada was enlisted into The Great War by Britain on 4 August 1914. Over the next four years recorded casualties for British and Commonwealth troops numbered 953 104 dead and 2 101 007 wounded.5 (Included in this number are 56 638 dead and 149 732 wounded Canadians.) The resulting mass grieving cemented the idea for change in remembrance practices for all future commemoration. Because of the direct connection with Britain, Canadian development of community commemorative forms, erected to remember their members who did not return from wars, followed a similar pattern to that in Britain. The official government policy of the day, was not to repatriate the dead, this resulted in families who were affected by loss having no local grave to visit or place to mourn. With the volume of casualties increasing during the Great War, most families were directly affected. It is from this common need to pay respects to the dead, as similarly experienced in Britain, the ‘war memorial industry’ developed quickly and by 1918 local War Memorial Committees were being set up across Canada. Their purpose was: 1. To announce to their community the need to obtain the names of the local ‘FALLEN’ to be added to the memorial; 2. To consult and make decisions on what memorial form and where the memorial form would be located in their community; and, 3. To allocate funds raised for memorial endeavors. The War Memorial Committees were made up of local volunteers, including local political leaders, prominent clergy, business leaders and retired military members. Additionally, a percentage of the committees were made up of local women (many directly affected by loss), who became involved actively in decision making about how to raise and utilize funds for appropriate memorials. Funds for the War Memorial Committees were raised by ‘grass roots’ organizations included: local schools, community groups, churches, local Chambers of Commerce, regimental associations, and the Royal Canadian Legion. Also involved were larger organizations with experience in fund raising which included: the Imperial Order of Daughters of the Empire (IODE; later the Women’s Institute), and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF). Both of these organizations can be seen referenced on some of the memorials found in Durham Region. The two main questions needed to be answered by each War Memorial Committee were: 1) where should the community memorial be situated? and 2) what memorial form should be developed? The decision on location of memorials caused many rifts within the War Memorial Committees, as many clerical members of the committees would have opted for a memorial to be located within local churches, (a common space for the mainly Christian population of the time). Most communities would have had at least one church. Memorials that were eventually erected in churches are known as Non- Secular memorials. (There are many non-secular memorials within churches in Durham Region and I will address these in a further paper at a later date). Secular Memorials, however, being non-ecclesiastical could be visited, (or used) by everyone within the community. As noted earlier, secular memorials could be utilitarian or symbolic. Symbolic War Memorials types also were usually developed in either a cenotaph form or a war memorial form. In simple terms the main difference between Cenotaphs, and War Memorials, is that cenotaphs do not have a Roll of Honour (a list of names of people being memorialized), whereas the main purpose of a war memorial is to remember the local population by recording and listing each person by name. This practice can be seen as more relevant to today’s commemoration as some war memorials not only inscribed the names of men who had become casualties but some also noted those who returned and in some cases also noting women.6 These memorials have become more important as time goes by, as they allow descendants of community members listed a direct connection with a past ancestor and therefore develop a more well-defined longstanding community bond. War Memorial Committees wanted to unveil unique monuments that would be representative of their community, and to leave a resonating message for the viewer to interpret and understand what these structures represented. This was accomplished by the use of the visual images and symbols, known as Iconography. Much of these symbols were taken directly from common funerary emblems found on private grave markers. Identifying the symbols carved on the monuments uncover messages that the builders wanted understood by visitors. Memorials developed during and after the Boer War period and into the 20th Century were both symbolic and utilitarian and both are found in Durham Region. THE WAR MEMORIALS IN DURHAM REGION: A CHRONOLOGICAL STUDY WHAT ARE WAR MEMORIALS TRYING TO TELL US? 1. The first memorial completed as a lasting form of commemoration to their local inhabitants was at Newtonville in the eastern end of Durham Region. The original Newtonville Memorial, unveiled in 1902, shows the original location prominent on a raised dais appears to be at a prominent central address within the village. Note the wreath with cross. This memorial is in the symbolic style. It was unveiled specifically to commemorate Captain William Milligan of the 46th Regiment, killed in the Boer War in South Africa. The original memorial from 1902 had the symbol of an ‘X’ within a wreath on the obelisk structure. One meaning for a wreath symbol implies Victory. An X cross or two swords crossed symbolizes lives lost. Therefore, the implied original meaning could be: ‘Life Lost in Victory’. After the Great War, a decision was made locally in Newtonville to expand the use of their existing memorial to include additional Rolls of Honour of future conflicts. This choice kept costs to the small community down while at the same time properly commemorating later members of the community killed as a result of armed conflicts. The existing memorial was moved to a small park during World War 2 as a result of being struck and damaged by a vehicle. At some point the original wreath and X (from the first Newtonville picture) was modified to a Laurel Wreath of Maple Leaves. This is believed to have been a later modification and may have been added at the time of the unveiling of the first of the WW1 Rolls of Honour (as the materials appear to be the same). This symbol therefore could imply: ‘Victory – Canadian Victory’. 2. The Pickering Village War Memorial was the first war memorial developed and unveiled in the Region after the Great War in 1919. As a utilitarian memorial, it is in the form of a set of Memorial Gates with two plinths with a Roll of Honour affixed to the left facing structure and playing fields behind. This field would also be used for fairgrounds and concerts. The memorial contains a very small (almost un-seeable) symbol ERECTEDTO THE MEMORY OFCAPT W.P.K. MILLIGAN46TH REGIMENTKILLED IN BATTLEAT KLEINHAEOTS RIVERSOUTH AFRICA MARCH 31 1902 3 4 above the Roll of Honour on the left-hand plinth. This can be easily missed or misunderstood. It is not two crossed swords, which would mean lives lost in battle, but rather two crossed torches overlayed on a wreath. This symbol can be read as a wreath meaning Victory, a lit torch meaning life, crossed torches meaning lives lost. In combination, this symbol could be saying Victory (the wreath) was overlayed by lives lost (the crossed torches), but the fact that the torches are lit implies life. Therefore, a possible meaning to be interpreted would be: ‘Lives Lost in the Victory assist the Living.’ 3. Brooklin Memorial Park. Another utilitarian playing field was unveiled in Brooklin in 1921 with a set of Memorial Gates opening to playing fields (and later an arena). This memorial site differs from other memorial fields in the Region in that there is no central memorial point and no Roll of Honour. In fact, the Royal Canadian Legion plaque which had been affixed to the arena when I first visited it about 10 years ago has been removed from the site. The story of the Brooklin Memorial continues with a new town memorial unveiled September 30, 2019 (noted later). 4. Cannington. This memorial was also unveiled in 1921. It is prominently located in the town park. The memorial notes that 65 local men served in WW1, 7 on the Roll of Honour. It also lists 7 on the Roll of Honour for WW2. Korea (1950-1953) is also engraved. A ‘Canadian’ wreath has been modified to include the dates of the Great War. An implied message could be: ‘ 5. Orono (cemetery gates). This memorial was unveiled in 1922. It is a utilitarian memorial in the form of ornamental gates for the village cemetery. The conventional laurel wreath used here is “usually associated with someone who has attained distinction in the arts, literature, athletics or the military.”7 This memorial may therefore be read as: ‘The members of this Roll of Honour attained distinction in their military service.’ 6. The memorial in Sunderland was unveiled in 1922. This memorial is the second memorial to be adorned with the figure of a soldier. The symbol of soldiers can be found on a number of memorials across the Region. Mostly they represent ordinary infantrymen (in this case with the sergeant stripes of a non-commissioned officer) hence they conform to egalitarian ideals. ‘Canadian VICTORY IN THE 1914-1918 War’. 5 Most statues either stand in mourning (‘reversed arms’) or erect. Another interpretation of a soldier may be that he is: “Standing Guard Over These Fallen Comrades and Townspeople.”8 7. Bowmanville’s war memorial was unveiled in 1922. The memorial is a monument in the form of a monolith with a modern Christian cross as its facing side. On the front face, at the foot of the cross is a laurel wreath overlaying a sword. The meaning of the horizontal sword is war is resting/ended, and under the wreath a symbol of victory and redemption. A possible implied meaning for this memorial: “The War is Over and Victory and Redemption are Here”. 8. The town of Whitby unveiled their war memorial in 1924. This memorial is prominently located on Dundas Road a block east of Brock Street. The front face is heavily festooned with ornate carving and symbols including a flame/ fire meaning eternity swords and other weapons pointing downwards imply the fight is over. Consequently, downward- pointing swords may be seen to honor those who fought and died in battle. a wreath: symbolizing Victory, the moto Pro Honoris Causa (For the Sake of Honour),9 flags surrounding a maple leaf: flags usually symbolize the national or regimental flags of the army being remembered. In this case they surround a maple leaf— the national symbol. A possible interpretation when all these symbols are taken together may be: “For Eternity the Fight is over with an Honourable Victory for Canadians.” 9. Oshawa unveiled its war memorial on 11 November 1924. This memorial is prominently displayed in a park in central Oshawa. A local doctor, T. E. Kaiser, led the fundraising. He also examined the designs of war memorials from around the world and selected a similar design to that of Evesham, England, as the basis for Oshawa’s War Memorial. Additionally, he acquired “stones from every allied nation of the First World War, [and] from the battlefields on which Canadians fought.”10 This memorial has many iconographic symbols. One form is ‘The Angel’ believed to represent the Arch Angel Michael. Michael is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7-12, where he does battle with Satan and casts him out of Heaven.11 The figure bears a sword (blade down). Consequently, downward-pointing swords may be seen engraved on war memorials to honor those who fought and died in battle.12 This small segment of the memorial iconography could imply: “The Fight is Over”. A much more in-depth study of this memorial’s iconography is required to decipher the entire message from this memorial. 10. Beaverton and Thorah. This memorial was unveiled in 1924. It is located prominently in central Beaverton, outside what was the Town Hall (now operating as a Community Service Hub). The memorial is similar to the memorials of Cannington and Sunderland with a soldier—an ordinary infantryman—atop the monument on which is inscribed on three sides with the Rolls of Honour from the two communities. Interesting features of the iconography inscribed on this memorial include: a branch with oak leaves and berries, which implies “strength”: the oak tree was the tree of life in pre-Christian times. The Druids had worshipped the oak, as an ancient symbol. Additional features include “In Memoriam”, meaning In 6 Memory Of13 and a Canadian laurel wreath—giving the meaning of “Victory – Canadian Victory”. This wreath surrounds the original Great War dates of 1914-1918 but also engraved are the dates of WW2 1939-1945 engraved later. Korea (1950- 1953) was also added lower on the front facing plaque. A possible interpretation could be: “Life and Strength in the Memory of Canadian Victory in 1914-1918 and 1939-1945”. 11. Kendal’s War Memorial, located at the Harvey Jackson Memorial Park, was unveiled 9 June 1926. It is a Utilitarian Memorial park in commemoration of Corporal James Harvey Jackson. As this memorial appears to be in honour of one soldier the commemorative plaque is similar to private, more personal, non-secular memorials found in churches. The plaque notes: the soldier’s “nearly 3-year military service” and this soldier’s B.A. in education (Toronto). Interesting iconography on this memorial are two small conventional wreaths usually associated with someone who has attained distinction in the arts, literature, athletics or the military. Additionally, a verse of Revelation 2:10 is inscribed: “Faithful unto death crowned with life eternal” meaning to remain loyal and obedient to God even in the face of persecution, suffering, and death. Jesus promises to reward those who are faithful unto death with the crown of life, which is the gift of eternal life in heaven.14 Therefore the plaque could imply: “To remain loyal and obedient to God even in the face of persecution, suffering and death is the gift of eternal life in heaven.” 12. The Uxbridge War Memorial was unveiled 5 November 1931. It was erected on a prominent site in front of the town library. The memorial is similar to the earlier memorials sited at Cannington, Sunderland and Beaverton/Thorah, with an ordinary infantryman atop the monument. The Roll of Honour is included for the Great War on the front face and Roll of Service for the community for the Great War is engraved on the rear. WWII and Korea (1950- 1953) are also noted on the front face bottom left and right. The iconography that this memorial includes is a listing of the 14 main battles of WW1 fought by Canadian troops as well as two local regimental badges of the 182 Overseas Battalion and the 116 Overseas Battalion. Part of the meaning of the symbolism offered may imply: “The community members listed on the Roll of Service and Roll of Honour contributed to accomplish victory (in one or more) of those battles noted.” 13. Port Perry Memorial Library. This War Memorial Library, unveiled in 1934, is another example of a utilitarian memorial form. The library operated as the main town library from 1935 until the early 1970s. It has now been re-purposed as office space. More research on this site is needed to discover if there are any existing traces inside the building as a war memorial. 7 Port Perry Book of Remembrance 1914 – 1918. Originally housed in the Port Perry Memorial Library. Now located at the new library in Port Perry. NEW FORMS UNVEILED AFTER WWII Iconography on memorials become less used following the Second World War as memorials tended to use more direct written inscriptions. 14. PICKERING. Veterans of the local school section erected and unveiled 16 November 1946 at Hwy 2 and Brock Road. The memorial was relocated outside the town council office and rededicated 20 October 1991.15 Interestingly, it commemorates “Those from this School Section who Served in the Armed Forces 1939-1945.” In addition to this are plaques which were added to note the Great War 1914-1918 and the Korea War 1950-1953. 15. Bowmanville Memorial Park. This site was unveiled in 1954. It is a utilitarian site—a set of playing fields and baseball diamonds. There is no information available that I know of to confirm that this site is a War Memorial site. More research is needed. If anyone has any knowledge of this site which would confirm it as a War Memorial site I would be interested in being advised. 16. Orono Village Memorial. This memorial was unveiled in 1957. It is a modern style of memorial and include Rolls of Honour for WW1*, with major Canadian WW1 battles listed on the left side of the monument, and the Roll of Honour for WW2 battles fought by Canadians on the right. The motto “LEST WE FORGET” is central as well as “BY SEA, LAND AND AIR”. *Interestingly the full WW1 Roll of Honour from the village which is listed on the War Memorial at the cemetery (1922) is not present on this memorial. I was able to obtain information that if a relative’s family were not able to be contacted to give agreement to add the names at the time of building in 1957 those names were left off. 17. Newcastle. This memorial was dedicated 20 July 1963. Created in the modern style of memorial, it is located in the central downtown core of Newcastle. It is almost an identical form to that of the 1957 8 Orono Village War Memorial. This memorial differs only slightly in shape and with some iconography. The war dates and engraving of Canadian maple leaves reminds the viewer of the loss to the country and the local community of the listed members from WW1, WW2 and the Korea War (sadly, one local soldier of this conflict is also recorded here). 18. Pickering Town Council/ Library Location. The exact date of unveiling has not been confirmed at this time but understood to be between 2010 and 2012).16 Installed in the ‘Peace Garden’ the Obelisk described as a Cenotaph commemorates: 19. Port Perry Council Building War Memorial, unveiled in 2004. Located prominently outside the council building this memorial is one of the newest in the municipality. It lists two Rolls of Honour and the three wars: WW1, 1914-1918; WW2, 1939-1945; and Korea 1950-1953. The memorial also has a military graphic showing a soldier, a sailor and an airman in reference to members of those armed services being honoured. 20. Ajax. Veterans Point Gardens. Dedicated 4 October 2009. This memorial, another utilitarian war memorial, is in fact a multi- use/multipurpose space. It has a memorial obelisk with an engraved poppy at the road entrance, large green spaces, a Memorial Garden and a set of plaques telling the history of the town and the site. It may be considered the first ‘new style’ war memorial site too, as it commemorates the veterans of the ship HMS Ajax (with a Roll of Service/Roll of Honour) the namesake for the town, and it has an historical plaque and map which explains the Battle of the River Plate in which HMS Ajax fought and claimed fame. The main Obelisk is dedicated: “As a testimony to honour all veterans who have served and will serve their country to ▼ ▼ “LEST WE FORGET IN LOVING MEMORY OFTHOSE WHOGAVE THEIR LIVESIN THEFIRST WORLD WAR 1914-1918SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1945ANDTHE KOREAN WAR 1950-1953 FOR THE PRESERVATIONOF PEACE WE WILLREMEMBER THEM THEY SERVED TILL DEATHWHY NOT WE” 9 preserve freedom.” Strangely enough this is the one memorial viewed which has the need of some conservation. It is on the horizontal plaque which describes the Battle of the River Plate. I have seen much worse deterioration at sites in the UK. An un-readable plaque – needs conservation. 21. Pickering First World War Centenary Memorial. This monument commemorates 100 years since the beginning of the Great War. The memorial commemorates the dates 28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918. As Canada’s introduction to the Great War was made by Britain as head of the Commonwealth on August 4th, 1914, I believe the dates noted for Canadian involvement should be revised. 22. Brooklin Cenotaph. This is the newest memorial in Durham Region. It was unveiled 30 September 2019, and replaced the utilitarian memorial site at the Brooklin Memorial Park dating from 1921 (noted earlier in this presentation). The new memorial is located near the centre of Brooklin and within marching distance of Legion Branch 152 who were instrumental in its construction and unveiling. This is why the Legion signs were removed from the Memorial Park. Unique to this cenotaph is the listing of all Canadian overseas participation: The iconography on this memorial includes a lit torch which serves as a guiding light to everlasting life. The “eternal flames” most often commemorate a person or event of national significance and serves as a symbol of an enduring nature such as a religious belief or 10 commitment to a common goal, such as international peace.17 Also noted on this memorial as on many war memorials (after WW1) is the inscription ‘Lest We Forget’. The phrase “Lest we forget” is from a line in an 1897 Rudyard Kipling poem, “Recessional”.18 Kipling was a well-known author and worked with the International War Graves Commission (IWGC) in memory of his son killed in the Great War. There are two other ‘Sites of Memory’ in Durham Region that have special poignant meaning yet are not officially considered war memorials. The first is the memorial at the site of Camp X, in South Whitby. It is worth mentioning that Ian Fleming (author of the James Bond series) had been trained at this location during the Second World War. The second site, The Highway of Heroes, occupying the section of Highway 401 between Trenton and Toronto, and through Durham Region, has numerous road signs referencing the Highway of Heroes. I feel this also should be considered as a War Memorial. At the Pickering Town Council office, there is also a plaque of commemoration for: “The Afghan veterans and those who have travelled the Highway of Heroes”. Therefore, I feel, this too should be considered a war memorial. IN CONCLUSION: From early ideas of how properly to commemorate the dead in the last century—from actual graves and memorial sites to those with no known graves overseas, to the consideration and development of home- front sites, to memorialize and remember local family members “CAMP X 1941-1946 On this site, British security co-ordination operated special training school No. 103 and Hydra. S.T.S. 103 trained Allied agents in the techniques of secret warfare for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Branch of the British Intelligence Service. Hydra Network communicated vital messages between Canada, the United States and Great Britain. This commemoration is dedicated to the service of the men and women who took part in these operations.” The plaque at the site reads: 11 in local communities—War Memorials have played an important part in the healing process of local populations affected by death in war. Initial independent forms, slowly became more organized and well-funded, through community organizations. In Durham Region, public war memorials took many forms, from additions of Rolls of Honour on existing memorials, to improving community facilities for the next generations with utilitarian sites, to symbolic statuesque forms containing easily recognizable messages to local populations. The messages that these memorials displayed through iconography would be understood by the viewer who would recognize the meanings. As memorial forms continued to develop new forms were introduced which allowed for commemoration of those lost, in less crowded more individual and personal settings—from visiting a park to visiting an old military training base and even driving along a dedicated highway. The words and symbolism may have changed with the new forms of war memorials being created, but the messages should not change or be lost. As a result of continued community support for their local memorials, I am happy to say, the vast majority of war memorials in Durham Region (except the memorial noted in Ajax) seem to be well maintained. I was expecting to find similar eroded memorials like the one I helped to conserve at St Peter’s Church in Cheltenham, England. It is up to us all to remember names on the memorials and to maintain memorial sites and to better understand what the meaning of the attached iconography was meant to communicate. War Memorial Educationand Conservation Services Robert E. Taylor MRes, BA robebt63@gmail.com Restoration of St. Peters Church Cheltenham, England AfterBefore 12 NOTES 1 Taken from website: www. en.m.wikipedia.org. Accessed 05/11/2023. 2 Taken from a 24 News article entitled “Most Canadians Unaware of the Role Canada Played in WW1”, dated 2014. 3 Taken from website: “Symbols of Remembrance”, The Cove (army.gov.au) by Tara Bucknall 06/11/2019. Accessed 02/11/2023. 4 Taken from website: “Second Boer War records database goes online”, BBC News. Accessed 09/11/2023. 5 Taken from https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/world_ war_1_casualties. Accessed 26/10/2023. 6 R. Taylor, “St Peter’s Church Memorial Cheltenham: What’s In A Name?” (Unpublished) 2016. 7 Taken from website: “Headstone Symbols and Meanings: A Guide to Cemetery Symbols” (memorials.com). https:// wwwmemorials.com/info/ headstones-symbols-meanings. Accessed 02/11/2023. 8 Taken from website: “Are the Statues of Soldiers on War Memorials Based on Real People?” Historic England. Accessed 09/11/2023. 9 Taken from website: “Definition of honoris causa”, Collins English Dictionary (collinsdictionary.com). Accessed 03/11/2023. 10 Taken from website: “The story of Oshawa’s Cenotaph”, The Oshawa Express (24 September 2021. Accessed 13/11/2023. 11 Taken from website: “Michael (archangel)”, Wikipedia. Geoffrey William Bromiley (1971). "Satan". Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Vol. 7. Alban Books. Accessed 04/11/2023. 12 Taken from website: “Symbols of Remembrance”, The Cove (army.gov.au) http://cove.army.gov.au/ article/symbols-remembrance by Tara Bucknall 06/11/2019. Accessed 04/11/2023. 13 Taken from website: “In memoriam”, Merriam- Webster Dictionary. Accessed 09/11/2023. 14 Taken from website: “Revelation 2:10”, Bible Gateway. Accessed 04/11/2023. 15 Information received from Jessica Lanziner, Local History Room of Pickering Library. Information from www.veterans.gc.ca. Accessed 04/11/2023. 16 Information received by email from Jessica Lanziner. Accessed 04/11/2023. 17 Taken from website: https:// www.cityofgroveok.gov/ building/headstone-memorial- symbols-and-meanings. 18 Taken from website: “’Lest we forget’ as a symbol of commemoration in Australia”, Anzac Portal (dva.gov.au). https://anzacportal.dva.gov. au/commemoration/symbols/ lest-we-forget. Accessed 11/11/2023. The Pickering Township Historical Society now has a new Facebook group. It is called, appropriately The Pickering Township Historical Society. Be sure when you search for it you use the word “The” at the beginning. Please do go and search for it and ask to join the group. You will be asked 3 simple questions and need to agree to the group rules. Once you have been approved, please invite others who are on Facebook to join as well. You can invite anyone from your Friends list. There is not much on it at the moment except for notices about our General Meetings. However, plans are to install all of the past issues of Pathmaster, and other matters pertaining to the history of Pickering and Ajax. If you have any suggestions for items you would like to see added please get in touch with President John Sabean at: johnsabean88@gmail.com. Catherine Copeland has set the group up and is the present administrator. Other administrators will be added with the approval of the PTHS executive. We thank Catherine for her efforts with this. She says: “Glad to finally have this set up. It should be fun to build the group. I am really hoping that this will expand our visibility and our membership.” A New Facebook Group 13 The PTHS recently acquired a “Bentley” bottle due to the generous donation of George Miller. The bottle is 12.5 cm tall and 5 x 3 cm in width. On one surface are the words “Dr. Boyer’s Calvanic Fluid”, which makes this a medicine bottle. Another surface relates the bottle to Brougham. This, then, is one of the containers of medicine that was dispensed by the company of Woodruff, Bentley & Co., whose patent medicine factory was located in the Hamlet of Brougham. We told the story, briefly, of the company in a previous issue of Pathmaster (Vol 27, No 3&4, Part 2, pp 49-50), based upon the larger story as told by Robert Miller in The Ontario Village of Brougham (1973). The company was in operation during the third quarter of the nineteenth century, and was founded by Nelson Woodruff and brothers William and James Bentley. The factory was located across the street from what is now known as the Bentley- Gibson House, just south of the church on the corner of Old Brock Road and Highway 7. Bentley-Gibson house as it appeared in 1905 Bentley-Gibson house as it appeared in 2002 Ph o t o g r a p h b y J o h n W . S a b e a n Do n a l d G i b s o n BENTLEY BOTTLE ¢ ∫ ¢ ∫ 14 A MAN WITH A HOE by Andrew Glen From the Toronto Star, Thursday, 30 June 1932. #22 A wide upland field, windswept; woods to one side; atmosphere sharp and clear; sky lifted high; in the centre of the field, a man hoeing. He seems so insignificant, this slow- moving part of a great picture. The body is slightly bent, the neck cranes forward, the hoe is pushed out, lingers a moment, then a quick draw backwards, the figure moves a pace, creeping slowly along the row. The corn shows like strings of green stretched over the dark earth; lines strung from the fence at one side to the trunks of trees in the distance, and the strings flutter in the wind, and the wind murmurs on the strings, on the chords of a field of corn. The man pauses to wipe his brow, and leans upon his hoe to watch a crow fly overhead, protesting his presence. He sees it circle over the bush and disappear, and bends once more to hoe. The weeds, the foxtail grass, the wild mustard and the ragweed are cut off in their youth; misplaced, unwanted noxious life which, left untouched, would steal from the land the moisture and the nourish- ment now wanted exclusively for the corn. The man with the hoe is the arbiter of life and death, spar- ing this and slaying that. With his sharp steel glinting on its rise and fall, he silently moves along. The man with the hoe is the arbiter of life and death, spar- ing this and slaying that. Gnats swarm about his head, a deer-fly lights upon his brown arm, his back pains. The muscles on his side are in undue tension. It is a relief to stoop and lightly pluck the weed with the fingers from close proximity to the stalk. He stirs up the earth around the plant, crushing down the lumps, tenderly caring it, forgetting the twinge in his side. One stalk of corn has wilted and shrivelled blue. The hoe descends with a vicious dig and lifts it by the root. The cutworm curls up tightly, hiding its head in shame. A swift stroke of the hoe and the culprit is no more. Back on another row, stroke by stroke, step by step, inexorably down the row, goes the silent dispenser of death. Do his thoughts keep pace with his quiet, deliberate movements, or do they fly ahead on wings? Do they slice and cut at useless mun- dane things or reach up and up like the corn? These are the secrets of the man with the hoe. Though his head may be in the clouds his feet are between the rows. It is the day’s work to tend to the corn, to make it grow tall and strong, well-eared, well-filled. The stalks are for the cattle and the ears are for the hens. He has always done it, year by year. It has become a habit, a custom. He feeds it to the stock. He disposes of his stock and straightway gets some more. He plants his corn again and the weeds come up as before. He must destroy them before they get ahead, else it will look like a jungle. Who cares? Well, he does. He wants to see it clean. His reputation is at stake. It is his responsibility, his field, his corn. So he bends to his task though there be meagre reward, and his back still hurts. His reputation is at stake. It is his responsibility, his field, his corn. So he bends to his task though there be meagre reward, and his back still hurts. Let others seek the softer way, the white collar and the swivel chair. Let others whet their jaded appetites with cocktails and condiment; let others choose to scheme and plot their way to wealth and power, taking to themselves the easy rows to hoe. They gain little and they miss much. The bending, plodding, insignificant figures with their hoes will, some day, come to their own. The shadows of the oaks steal down the row. The wind has dropped to a soothing whisper. On the bank a groundhog stands up straight, his short forepaws folded across his stomach. He looks, intent and long, upon the moving figure, and, deciding he is harmless, drops and hurries down his beaten track into the clover. The man meets and passes into the shadow. His eyes are rested by the darker earth and the deeper green of the corn. The steel clicks sharply upon a stone, Musings on Rural Life in Pickering Township in the 1930s: Part 15 Andrew Glen’s We continue to run these articles by Andrew Glen, who, in 1923, for political reasons, gave up a successful engineering career and moved to Pickering Township to farm. Farming was a quite different occupation from his previous life and it took a long while for him to become comfortable with his new occupation. During much of the 1930s, he wrote a column for the Toronto Star in which he described his new life in the country with all the new experiences he faced. Mostly he wrote about his neighbours and about rural life, and occasionally about Pickering Township history. But Glen had also long been a political activist and while he describes ordinary activities of farm life with its triumphs and hardships, he often put these activities into a larger perspective. Caution: The reader is warned that some of the documents cited in these articles were written long ago in a different era. Some words or ideas that were in common use in times past might be considered offensive or demeaning in today’s more inclusive society. Note: Images were not part of the original article. 15 breaking the quiet. The trumpet call of a pheasant comes clear and musical across the field. He walks sedately along the far headland, picking up his evening meal. With a whirr he rises over the fence and, flying in a straight line till he lights in the long grass, disappears. Again the hush. Only the figure, the man with the hoe, seems to move. He is now deep in the shadows. The trees stretch out their arms. He has reached the end of the row. Locust Hill, Ont. Farm Planning By Andrew Glen From the Toronto Star, Tuesday, 26 July 1932. #23 An army of peaceful farmers went to Ottawa planning to tell the premier what agriculture needed. Simple-minded, hard-working farmers, concerned about the state of their industry and their country. But there was not time to listen to their plea. No time to tell them what the Big Drummer’s conven- tion hoped to do for them. The Empire’s foremost salesmen were coming to the capital each to drive the best possible bargain for his own products. Each had some sur- plus for disposal. Factories back home were eagerly awaiting orders from the travelling representatives to start the wheels again. But our Ontario farmers, though they will provide the banquet tables, are not considered worthy to furnish any suggestions. Had they called them- selves delegates from the Ontario and Quebec Food Manufacturers Co. Ltd. they might have been handed the best chairs and offered cigars and treated with deference and humility. Our farms are factories. Their product is food. They are running night and day turning out their goods, just as essential, we think, as the products or any other factory. As a matter of fact our farms are factories. Their product is food. They are running night and day turning out their goods, just as essential, we think, as the products or any other factory. They are run efficiently. The wages are reduced so low that there is practically free labor, and they can produce an overwhelming output at exceedingly low cost. Their work is organized to the nicest detail. Each department dovetails closely into the others. There is planned economy. We arrange our crops for years ahead in orderly rotation so that the fertility of the whole farm is maintained. We pursue a ruthless campaign against weeds and parasites which graft and fatten on our crops; we keep the land usefully employed and do the work ourselves, doing it well, too well. The farmers understand trade. They go back to first principles. They grow enough food for their own requirements; the re- mainder they exchange for the things they are unable to produce. They trade a horse for a suit of clothes; they sell an old cow to buy a pair of boots; they hand over two bags of potatoes for a Sunday necktie; they are breaking their everlasting backs for snubs and sneers. The farmers realize of course they are getting the worst of the bar- gain. There must be something wrong with the scales. They are out of balance and they demand that they be overhauled to weigh justly. The farmers, back at their work, are wondering if the big fellows who have got things all balled and snarled up are capable of unravel- ling the tangle. Will they cut the tariff tape they have so assiduously wrapped smotheringly around le- gitimate trade? Will they get back to common sense and produce nationally and rationally, like the farmers, what each country re- quires and exchange an adequate surplus for the goods they desire to procure from elsewhere? Will they see that each country is well fed and clothed and comfortable before it considers it has a surplus for disposal abroad? The men and women on our farms, the simple-minded, simple-hearted folk who feed the country, are applying the common-sense intelligence test to the efforts of our fi- nancial pundits and economic contortionists. The men and women on our farms, the simple-minded, simple- hearted folk who feed the country, are applying the common-sense intelligence test to the efforts of our financial pundits and econom- ic contortionists. They don’t want speeches and theories, disserta- tions, preferences or quotas. They want practical results. They can produce food. Let the people be fed. They want better homes and buildings, new equipment, power on the farm, other conveniences. Let us have these things when our workers stand and wait. They want a better standard of living and more lei- sure. Why not? They know it is possible to arrange it. On the farms they have to adapt themselves to changing condi- tions; to the whims of na- ture. They plan their work to the seasons. They rush in the hay between showers. If the old binder breaks down they get busy and fix it. They don’t use the harrows when a plow is neces- sary. They use their common sense. They get the work done. Up to the present they have done it well. It has been undone for them. It is now time to extend their activities. to make it a land where the natural wealth and beauty of its resources will be exceeded only by the condition and vigor of its men and women and the color in the cheeks of its children. There is much to be done on the farm “Canada”. There are many hands able and willing to work at bringing order out of chaos; at planning the life and activities of our national farm—to make it a show place of the earth rather than a rebuke; to make it a land where the natural wealth and beauty of its resources will be exceeded only by the condition and vigor of its men and women and the color in the cheeks of its children. If our politicians are unable to do this, given every requisite; if they refuse to do this, putting first things first, discard- ing old shibboleths and out-worn theories, then some day soon our farmers will be heard at Ottawa, proud Bourbons. Locust Hill, Ont. 16 The directors of the Pickering Township Historical Society thank the Binns family for a generous donation that will support the society’s publications. The directors of the Pickering Township Historical Society thank the Province of Ontario for funding through the Heritage Organization Development Grant (HODG). The directors of the Pickering Township Historical Society thank the City of Pickering for funding through the Community Grant Program. The directors of the Pickering Township Historical Society thank Elexicon Energy for their generous annual grant in support of the society’s publications. The Executive Officers of the Pickering Township Historical Society thank all those who have joined with us over our twenty-six year history and helped to keep alive the memories of our glorious past. Board of Directors: Honourary President: Tom Mohr President John Sabean Vice President: Recording & Corresponding Secretary: Carol Sabean Treasurer and Membership Secretary John Earley Members-at-large Gail Lawlor Robert Taylor Steve Smith Editor: John Sabean Design: John Cormier Hands On Art & Design Pathmaster is the newsletter of the Pickering Township Historical Society and is issued occasionally. Address correspondence to PTHS, c/o 928 Reytan Blvd., Pickering, Ontario, L1W 1Y7. E-mail: johnsabean88@gmail.com.