“This is the third memorial to stand on this site since the first was erected in 1922. The first cenotaph was erected with the plan of adding a bronze statue to the top of a stone cairn, with the names of the dead of the Great War engraved forever on a bronze plaque. A captured German field artillery piece was also placed beside the cenotaph, but that mysteriously disappeared on Halloween night. When promised funding sources dried up, the statue was never completed and left unfinished until 1929 when the stone cairn was replaced with a new concrete memorial with all the names of the lost heroes of New Hamburg and the surrounding area engraved into the concrete. This memorial lasted until the weather had gotten the better of it and costly repairs were needed. It was decided by the powers that presided over the current town council and local Legion, that a third cenotaph was needed to replace the badly worn concrete version.
In May of 1991, a new light grey granite cenotaph was unveiled. The newest version of the memorial had an additional sixteen names added to the list from the original cenotaph, this to include the names of those lost from Wilmot Township. Erected by Shuh Memorials of Kitchener, at a cost of $28,000, the new cenotaph also contains a time capsule in its base. The granite stone will last much longer than any previous memorial that has stood in this spot.
The cenotaph of New Hamburg has quite a history but it is refreshing to see that the need to remember the dead of the Great Wars has overcome all obstacles to forever stand as a reminder of the sacrifices made by so many local men.”
[Ontario War Memorials Blogspot]
World War One
- Daniells, Pte. Charles T.
- Eby, L.C. Elgin E.
- Erbach, Pte. Herbert E.
- Forler, Gnr. Alvin J.
- Goebel, Pte. Glennie R.
- Kaster, Pte. Elmer
- Laschinger, Pte. Wilfred C.
- Marty, Pte. Ivan B.
- McFadyen, Pte. Henry L. DCM
- Merner, Pte. Albert E.
- Perry, Pte. Walter M. MM
- Schmitt, Pte. George H.
- Schuler, Pte. Theodore
- Sheppard, Cpl. Leslie E. MM
- Spar, Pte. John E.
- Stier, Pte. Nathaniel
- Strauch, Pte. john
- Walker, Pte. Clinton T.
- Williams, Lt. Russell
- Young, Pte. Charles D.H
World War Two
- Bier, Captain. Nile H.
- Ditner, Sgt. Hubert L.
- Foster, L.C. samuel W.
- Fried, L.C. Kenneth L.
- Honderich, F/O Robert W.
- Hostetler, F/O Charles W.
- Ingold, Spr. Irvin
- Jantzi, SIG Earl
- Kurt, Pte. Walter C.
- Milne, Cpl. Donald J. MM
- Reinhart, Pte. Albert G.
- Ross, WOII John K.
- Saltzberry, F/O Russell A.
- Stiefelmeyer, Pte. John Henry
- Toman, Pte. Burkle
- Wagner, L.A.C. Erhardt G.
Korea
- Koch, Sgt. Gerald W.