Whalley Legion’s old cenotaph isn’t yet installed at the new building but will be part of Remembrance Day ceremonies Saturday, Nov. 11.
The granite monument will be craned into position on the west plaza, outside Vimy Lounge, in time for the 10:25 a.m. procession and 10:45 service at 10626 City Parkway.
Later that day, a city crew will truck it away again.
Branch 229 president Tony Moore says the 75-year-old cenotaph has been stored at a city yard during construction of the Legion’s new home.
“Hopefully by next year it’ll be permanent outside, with a new foundation,” Moore explained.
A new cenotaph had been considered for the Legion’s plaza, but those plans are scrapped.
“We were working with the city art department looking at a different concept for a new cenotaph, different renderings from artists,” Moore said. “But it was decided that we weren’t going to worry about all that, we’re going with our 75-year-old one (cenotaph) that we have. This really is part of the Whalley history, so why would we change it?”
The cenotaph will be updated before permanent installation.
“We’ll add some things to it, like the Afghanistan war,” Moore added. “It’s got everything on there up to the Korean War, but there’s no mention of the Afghan war and a couple of other things, so that’s why we’re working on for the base, to recognize the other wars that Canada’s been in.”
The cenotaph was originally located on King George Highway before it was moved to the old Legion hall, opened in 1960 and then demolished in 2019 to make way for the Veterans Village tower, unveiled last February.
“The city parks department dismantled it (the cenotaph) and took it to their yard over there at Sullivan Station,” Moore said. “The guys there washed it all down and retouched up all the etchings with black paint. The city’s been good, and they want to keep it pristine.”
In photographs from Remembrance Day services past, the cenotaph looks pretty heavy. “On the top of it they bored in and put screw threads, so they can pick it up with a crane,” Moore explained.
Elsewhere in Surrey, Nov. 11 services will be held in Cloverdale, Surrey Centre Cemetery, Port Kells and Crescent Beach.