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Following World War I and World War II, the people of Transcona had a strong need to remember those that lost their lives for freedom. The community rallied after each conflict to create monuments and memorials that would allow for future generations to remember the sacrifices that had been made.

The service men themselves also vowed to "Never Forget" and pledged to do everything they could to keep their comrades memories alive. Many soldiers brought back trophies of war. These military items were a reminder of the evil's that had plagued the world for so long.

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Transcona Cemetery
4 November 2003
Transcona, Manitoba, Canada

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The town responded by creating permanent monuments and naming streets and parks. Churches also contributed by creating Honour Rolls that listed all those who served from that congregation.

Transcona also remembered by actively participating in days of Remembrance. The Transcona Legion and the Transcona Historical Museum attempt to keep the memories alive of our Hometown Heroes through parades, wreath laying ceremonies, services and exhibits.

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Field of Honour in the Transcona Cemetery
2003
Transcona, Manitoba, Canada

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The town of Transcona supported remembrance honours and initiatives on behalf of the citizens. On June 18, 1918, the Transcona Town Council created a military section in the Transcona Cemetery as a symbol of the respect and remembrance in honour of those men who served with Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.).

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Request to compile an honor roll
4 February 1916
Transcona, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
Transcona Times

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Remembrance continued as many memorial services and "Great Peace" celebrations were held in the Town. The "Transcona Peace Celebration and Civic Holiday" were declared June 28, 1919 - August 30, 1919. Memorial Services were held and local businesses and churches erected "Rolls of Honour". Remembrance remained a priority among the townspeople for years to come.

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Our Honour Roll
12 March 1916
Transcona, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
Transcona Times

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For many years, residents placed pressure on the Transcona town council to create a public war memorial for the Transcona lives lost during the Great War. The idea for a "Cenotaph" memorial was put forth in 1921. The proposed monument was too costly and it took several years before a monument could be dedicated. Finally, on November 11, 1931 as part of the Remembrance Day Services, Transcona unveiled the Cenotaph on the newly paved Regent Avenue at the intersection at Oxford Street.

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Call for action to create a fund
23 March 1917
Transcona, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
Transcona Times

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The Cenotaph was composed of a roughly finished grey granite obelisk, fourteen feet in height, placed on a five-foot base of smoothly polished granite. It took an experienced and dedicated stonecutter one hour to engrave two letters of a name into the smoothly polished surface. When it was completed, sixty-one names of war victims were engraved on the monument. The Cenotaph was made in the yards of the Memorial Marble and Tile Company of Winnipeg.

By 1931, the Railway town of Transcona had fulfilled its duty of Remembrance. The men had returned to their work at the Railway Shops and were in the midst of raising families. As veterans of the "War To End All Wars", the former soldiers continued to take part in Decoration Day parades and Armistice Day services. Sadly and tragically, their hopes for everlasting Peace were extinguished when Canada declared war in September 1939.

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The 'Great War Memorial'
1931
Transcona, Manitoba, Canada

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An illustration commemorating the official unveiling of the Transcona Memorial
5 November 1931
Transcona, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
Transcona News

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In the decades after World War II, special efforts were made by the people of Transcona to memorialize the service and sacrifice given by young men and women. The duty of Remembrance was taken on by the Transcona War Memorial Committee, local churches and schools, Royal Canadian Legion - Transcona Branch # 7, Town/City of Transcona (later the City of Winnipeg), local businesses and the CNR Transcona Shops.