Included in a staff report presented to Council on October 28th (2024), was a report regarding the proposed Southampton Cenotaph restoration/revitalization project.
At the public information centre (PIC) held at the Bruce County Museum on the evening of July 4th, consultant RJ Burnside presented four proposed versions for the Cenotaph for public review and discussion.
- Option 1 – Rebuild/Restore the existing Cairn and Cross
- Option 2A – Proposed 2 Stone Columns (previously presented by the Cenotaph Committee)
- Option 2B – Proposed 2 Stone Columns, with existing Cairn and Cross (previously presented to Council by the Cenotaph Committee)
- Option 3 – Rebuild/Restore the existing Cairn and Cross, including a Memorial Wall (as discussed in a focus meeting convened by the Mayor with the Legion and Cenotaph Committee, Town staff and Burnside on June 27, 2024).
At the PIC, the community was provided with comment sheets to document and quantify their opinions and preferences on the proposed four cenotaph concept options that were displayed.
Burnside reviewed the collected feedback from the returned comment sheets and summarized it for discussion with Town staff. The summary was also shared with the Legion’s President on September 10, 2024, in the presence of Town staff.
The following are some of the key comments that were received and set out in the report:
- Rebuild the cairn as is to remember the men who built the cenotaph and gave their lives for freedom – Preserves the history and shows respect and honour
- Remove the illuminated cross as it is historically inaccurate – Canadian soldiers fought for country not religious reasons – Lots of non-Christian members of community, as well as passed family members that fought in the war – Enemy soldiers were also Christian
- Consult with living family members of those whose names are on the Cenotaph
- Safety concern with having enough space to stand and reflect by Cenotaph
- Place benches behind Cenotaph for meditation and reflection
- Incorporate the cross with the cairn instead of the standing illuminated cross – Or use different symbology such as a wreath of maple leaves
- Memorial wall is a great idea and way of recognizing the people who gave their lives for peace (names on plaques)
- Consider involving the Saugeen First Nations stone masons to rebuild the cairn using the “dry wall” method
- Keep the cross as it represents important things that are not religious – the cross in Flanders fields
- An upside-down sword used to mark the grave of a warrior
- Associated with Remembrance Day
- Contemplation garden added instead of forecourt for reflection
- Only 8 of 58 Saugeen Shores men have their name on the Vimy Memorial, can use this cenotaph to add missing names
In a letter from the Rotary Club of Southampton dated September 6th, the Club expressed concerns about any significant change to the original design that had been presented to the club.
In the event that the final approved design differs substantially from the original, and if Rotary Club is not in agreement with these changes, they may request the return of their significant donation of $15,000.
There is a strong message to retain the Cenotaph features in their present form and composition with refurbishment and updates to the plaque contents.
Burnside also sent a structural engineer to review and assess the conditions of the cairn and cross and reported back that the cairn appears to be stable but may require some repair and maintenance.
The design team and Town staff will make any final adjustments to a revised design and accommodation to the overall High Street design. A presentation will then be made to the Legion board members on November 5th and, subsequently, the final design will be presented at the Town Council’s meeting on November 25th.
It was recommended in the report that a meeting and presentation to the Rotary Club on the final design be scheduled after Council approval.
