Call for Missing WWII Names from Brant War Memorial

Project Overview

The City of Brantford has asked the public to put forward the names of Second World War (1939-1945) casualties that are missing from the Brant War Memorial.

In consultation with the Great War Centenary Association, Six Nations Veterans Organization, and the Canadian Military Heritage Museum, the City conducted a community consultation in Fall 2024 to help identify names missing from the Brant War Memorial.

If you have any questions about the project, please email culture@brantford.ca.

List of Missing Names

AVEY, Sydney
BARNES, Frederick Arthur
BATES, Theodore S.
BELL, Joseph (Joe) G.
BIGGS, Frank Aldolphus
CAWLEY, Preston
COLEMAN, Edward Bruce
CORKEN, Norman
DAVIDSON, George Garrett
DOUGLAS, Rex Eric
ELSON, James F.
FERRIER, Mervin J.
FOSTER, Clarence
GORE, Harry
HINE, Robert George (Bobby)
LABORDE, Philip Trafford (WWI)
LAWSON, Cyril Webster
MARKS, William Kenneth
REID, William
SHAW, Willard Norman
TELFER, Roy James
URQUHART, David
WALLACE, David

About the Brant War Memorial

Located at 6 Dalhousie Street in Brantford, the Brant War Memorial was designed by Walter S. Allward and constructed in 1933 in memory of locals who lost their lives during the First World War. The park land on which the memorial sits was formerly used as a parade ground for those who left Brantford during the First World War.

The memorial was later modified to incorporate the names of local war dead from the Second World War, Korean War, and Afghanistan War. In 1952, a Memorial Gallery was added and serves as a backdrop to the Brant War Memorial. In 1992, seven bronze statues were added to represent the men and women who were involved in the wars and to commemorate local armed forces veterans.

As the purpose of the Brant War Memorial is to honour fallen service personnel, the addition of names is in keeping with heritage standards and guidelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the City conducting a community consultation for the missing names?

In conversations with the Great War Centenary Association, it was agreed that a community consultation for missing names would be the best process to move forward, due to the complex nature of deciding who qualifies as local. For example, a couple born and raised in Brantford, living elsewhere during the war, and whose widow did not self-report during the memorial’s original creation would not have been included in the names listed on the memorial. However, this soldier would be considered a local who fought and died in the war and so could be considered for inclusion on the additional gallery that would be installed adjacent to the existing memorial.

Where can I find a list of names that are currently inscribed on the War Memorial?

Which service personnel qualify?

All service personnel, both men and women, whose names are missing from the Brant War Memorial, lost their lives in military service during the Second World War (1939-1945), and resided in Brantford, County of Brant, or Six Nations of the Grand River qualify. The service personnel could have served for the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, Royal Canadian Air Force Medical Branch, or the Royal Canadian Naval Medical Service.

Subscribe to this Page