A special ceremony the corner of Albert and Paris Streets in Alliston honoured local veterans today.
A new cenotaph now stands next to the Alliston Memorial Arena, and on it are the names of nearly 70 soldiers from Alliston who made the ultimate sacrifice. The monument unveiled Aug. 24, 2013 is a seven-tonne granite stone that lists the names of those killed in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, Afghanistan, and peacekeeping missions.
But they are more than just names to veteran Joe McCarroll.
“I'm thinking about them,” he says. “I went to school with some of them.”
Until today, there wasn't a proper cenotaph in Alliston. But unveiling the new war memorial this afternoon was a touching moment for veterans like Doug Scott.
“It's long overdue,” Scott says. “We're honouring their bravery.”
A committee worked tirelessly to make the cenotaph a reality. It was five years in the making and cost about $250,000 to build, according to cenotaph committee chairperson Art Storey.
There are two large stones on either side of the main memorial, which commemorates veterans of the First and Second World Wars. One adjacent stone honours soldiers from the Korean and Gulf wars and peacekeeping missions. William Smith fought in Korea and is happy to see peacekeepers honoured here too.
The other is dedicated to soldiers who fought and lost their lives in Afghanistan. Carol Collier and Lorie Dinning lost both their sons in Afghanistan. They laid the first wreath at the memorial together.
The cenotaph committee has more plans for the war memorial, which includes stones with the names of local veterans lining the path to the cenotaph.
