The cenotaph at Ladner’s Memorial Park has been a fixture in Ladner for 101 years.
The park at the south end of Delta Street was originally the property of William Henry Ladner.
Harry Nelson Rich, a prominent village businessman who lost his son Sidney in the First World War, obtained the acreage in 1921 to be developed as a memorial administered by the Delta Memorial Park Association.
The memorial structure was unveiled at a large community gathering in May of that year.
There were 27 names of young Delta men who died in that war, etched on the granite structure.
The volunteer association continued to operate the park and maintain the cenotaph until 1956, when the property and the assets were turned over to the Corporation of Delta.
In 1989, wheelchair access and steps were added to the cenotaph with funds provided by the Ladner Legion.
The cenotaph continues to be the centre of Remembrance Day observances in South Delta.
Earlier this year, the City of Delta unveiled a storyboard near the base of a tree that is just steps away from the cenotaph.
The tree was initially planted in November 2017 after Delta MP Carla Qualtrough was among 150 recipients across Canada of saplings made available in recognition of the 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge.
After the First World War at a decimated Vimy Ridge, Lt. Leslie Miller found the remains of a half sunken oak tree. He retrieved some of the remaining acorns and planted them at his family farm in Scarborough, Ont.
The tree’s story, the significance of its location and a look back at the famous 1917 four-day battle in northern France are explained on the storyboard.
