Town of Westville Cenotaph

Every time I drive down Main Street in Westville, I am captivated by the handsomely chiseled face of a soldier proudly standing guard over the town. The Westville Cenotaph will be celebrating 100 years this July 1st with a special Rededication Ceremony. I wanted to find out more about this beautiful long-standing piece of history, so I reached out to Michael from the Town of Westville and had a wonderful chat.

Michael’s eyes lit up, “The Westville Cenotaph has such an amazing story,” he continued, “In the late fall of 1915, a huge recruiting meeting was held at the Orange Hall and over 600 Westville residents signed up to join the fight. In the spring of 1919, the Soldiers Memorial Committee was formed to find a way to honour those who gave their lives for our freedom. After multiple meetings with town residents and officials, it was decided that a monument would be the best way to honour the fallen.”

The facial features on the soldier monument are so incredibly etched and beautiful. When I look into his eyes, I can almost hear his voice whispering to me. I quickly asked, “Who created the monument?” He smiled, “It is quite the story too.” The monument was created by a young artist/sculptor named Emanual Hahn in Toronto. He started the project in 1919 by creating a model which became a mould to cast the bronze statue,” he grinned sheepishly, “This is the remarkable part. This is the only signed and bronze-casted memorial by the sculptor in Canada! And it exists here in our little town of Westville!” My eyes widened, “Wow, that is amazing! Who knew?” The monument was shipped by rail to Westville in pieces and erected on the current site in 1921 with an official unveiling scheduled for July 1st, 1922.

As scheduled, on July 1st, 1922, the official unveiling took place. “It was reported that over 4000 citizens were on hand that day. A school choir, brass band plus pipe band, Highlanders Honour Guard plus members of the town clergy took part. It was quite the event,” he smiled. “Wow, that must be why the Town of Westville still holds the largest Canada Day celebration in all of Pictou County,” I commented. He replied, “I think maybe you are right. Did you know that the town has celebrated Canada Day since 1907?” I was amazed again. That is 115 years! One thing is for sure, the people of Pictou County are resilient, determined, passionate, proud people who embrace their roots.

I think this quote sums it up perfectly, “If we do not honor our past, we lose our future. If we destroy our roots, we cannot grow.”