ANTIGONISH: The centerpiece of the Remembrance Day ceremony in Antigonish has moved locations.
The First World War monument, which had been located in Chisholm Park, was moved to Columbus Field on September 15 to accommodate for the town and county’s ever-growing Remembrance Day ceremony.
“There simply was just no place in Chisholm Park for ceremonies anymore,” President of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 59, James Matheson told The Reporter. “It was becoming too congested and the crowds were growing larger every year.”
Matheson indicated the legion wanted to relocate it to a more accessible area of the town.
“Now its more prominent,” he said.
The cenotaph stood at its Chisholm Park location for almost 45-years. Originally installed in 1931, it had been at the intersection of St. Ninian’s and West Street before being relocated in 1976.
For safety reasons, Matheson said the World War II arch at Columbus Field was removed about seven-years-ago, and the legion hadn’t been able to display WWII or Korean War dedication plaques since.
“We were missing that here in Antigonish,” he said. “We were able to get more space, able to get a better location, and we were able to get our WWII and Korean plaques back up.”
Moving the cenotaph was a legion project that had support from the Town of Antigonish, the Municipality of the County of Antigonish and Veterans Affairs Canada.