RED RIVER VALLEY – In a prominent position in most small prairie towns, a cenotaph stands to proclaim the sacrifice of local young men who heeded their nation’s call in times of war.
Some, like that in Steinbach, Man., stand at a busy intersection on the town’s main street, acknowledging the debt at the centre of the community.
Others, like the one in Elm Creek, Man., stand in small verdant parks, inviting quiet reflection of the loss of those men whom few can still remember.
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And others, like the memorial in St. Claude, Man., stand heroically above cemeteries, pointing out the special sacrifice of a life lost in fighting for one’s country.
Some cenotaphs are cared for by the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Others, like the one on the lawn of the office of the Rural Municipality of Morris, also have the local council watching out for them. Still others are tended by the families of those who fought and those who died.
Cenotaphs have been placed in prominent positions so that everyone can be reminded of the veterans and acknowledge their efforts. But over the decades many have become such a familiar sight that they have blended into the background, become like a patterned wallpaper where the central motif is virtually invisible because of the regularity of its repetition.
That was the case in Russell, in western Manitoba, where the cenotaph was cared for but seldom thought about.
That changed in 1999 when vandals tore the head off the monument. After the initial outrage subsided, the townsfolk decided to not only repair the monument, but also expand it, adding flower boxes to make it more prominent than before.
“People were surprised by how much everyone cared, but maybe we needed something to remind us,” said town administrator Wally Melnyk.
The veterans of the wars of the last century may be steadily departing, but the memory of their sacrifice has been passed down, if not always as loudly proclaimed as in the past.
