Name/Title
1919 - WWI Gaspe Quebec War Cenotaph - Honouring 18 CGG soldiers of the total of 38 KIA from Gaspe during WWIScope and Content
1919 - WWI Gaspe Quebec War Cenotaph
47% of the WWI Honourees (18 of 38) on the Cenotaph are Canadian Grenadier Guards.
The 87th Battalion recruited extensively in the Gaspe with over 34 original soldiers coming from the region. The Gaspe War Memorial was unveiled on July 7, 1921 by Major-General Sir David Watson with more than 5,000 people in attendance.
A total of 18 CGG Soldiers are honoured making up 47% of all total WW1 names on the memorial which explains why the celebrations opened with Church Services led by the Rev. Canon Wayman, formerly Chaplain of the 87th Battalion (Grenadier Guards). Actually, as teh 87th. Bn. was viewed as a national unit, it was allowed to recruit anywhere. It specifically sent out recruiting teams to all parts of Quebec, as well as Ottawa and Eastern and Northern Ontario. Of the original 700 recruited for 87th. in 1915, 31 were from Gaspe. Actually, only 283 of the originals came from Montreal, excluding officers and NCO's
The statue designed by Emmanuel Hahn (German Origin) depicts a young, grieving Canadian soldier in First World War army uniform. With uncovered head, he is standing at a battlefield grave – a simple cross with poppies at the base – the final resting place of a comrade killed in action. His left hand rests on the cross, while his right hand holds a reversed rifle. He also started work as a studio assistant to sculptor Walter Seymour Allward. Part of his duties included assisting on Allward’s significant works such as the South African War Memorial in Toronto. Hahn is probably most famous as the designer of the Bluenose on the back of the Canadian dime and the Caribou on the back of the Canadian quarter. He was a victim of anti-German sentiment in the years following the Great War, when his design for the Winnipeg Cenotaph was rejected in 1925.Created By
Lieutenant Michael Hayes-Rivet, retired.Create Date
May 17, 2025Updated By
R. John Dolbec C/Sgt. (ret.)Update Date
August 7, 2025