A search is underway to find a new location for Lantzville’s war memorial cenotaph.
The cenotaph’s location, behind the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 257, near Lantzville School Road, has proved difficult to accommodate growing crowds at Remembrance Day ceremonies.
Roy Cardinal, Branch 257 president, said not only is the cenotaph’s location unsuitable, but its design and construction is not in accordance with traditional cenotaphs.
With ‘Royal Canadian Legion’ engraved on it, Cardinal said the cenotaph doesn’t properly honour Canada’s war dead nor Canadian veterans.
“We would like something similar to the cenotaph in downtown Nanaimo. There are Canadian Forces members who have served in a number of roles, including peacekeeping, and we feel a cenotaph should reflect that,” he said. “It’s also on the Legion’s private property and we would like to see it belong to the community.”
A committee, involving Branch 257, the District of Lantzville and Snaw-Naw-As First Nation, is looking for a new location, but Lantzville Mayor Jack de Jong said the process is in the early stages.
“Huddlestone Park has been discussed, but it’s just one site option,” he said. “We’ve involved the Lantzville Historical Society for some input. We want this to be a community project.”
The scheduled date for completion of a new cenotaph is Nov. 11, 2013.
“That’s a realistic objective,” said de Jong. “I believe there is some funding available through Veterans Affairs that has to be applied for. The legion members are putting a lot of effort into this and we would like to see it happen as soon as possible.”
The cenotaph has been at its current location for more than 50 years.
