The Weeping Lady - Norwich Cenotaph

By Liz Dommasch, Archivist

Located in front of Emily Stowe Public School in Norwich Ontario, stands a white marble statue erected following WWI. Known as the Weeping Lady, she was officially unveiled on Victoria Day, 1921 on the grounds of the Norwich High School.

The white marble statue was created in France and was originally meant to be erected a year earlier. However, the monument was postponed due to difficulties that were continually impeding ocean transport at the time, and which ultimately delayed delivery of the sculpture to Canada. Upon its arrival, it was surmounted on a granite base constructed by Dan Miller of Woodstock, who also constructed the cenotaph at Embro. The monument was also originally planned to have been erected on the grounds of the Norwich Library, but it was later felt that the high school park was a more suitable location.

The granite base of the monument was originally inscribed with the names of thirty heroes that came from the Village of Norwich and the Township of North Norwich, who had not returned. On one side are the names of the officers who fell:

Major T.D. Sneath M.C.

Lieut. J.F. Dickson

Lieut. P. Johnson

Lieut. A. Rowe

Corp. H. Cole

L. Corp. A. Stone

  

While the rear table includes the names of the private soldiers who were slain:

Pte. R. Cottle             Pte. A. Messecar         Pte. C. Beattie

Pte. John Stewart      Pte. Fred Bleakley       Pte. S. Shellington

Pte. E. Kelly               Pte. H. Barnes             Pte. B. Poole

Pte. H. Priddle            Pte. B. Edwards          Pte. J. McNaughton

Pte. R. Newton           Pte. E. Scanlon           Pte. W. Lossing

Pte. W.A. Hughes        Pte. H. Sackrider        Pte. H. Money

Pte. Fred Croxford       Pte. G.E. Dennis         Pte. J.L. Harris

Pte. A.E. Crabbe          Pte. R. Buck                Pte. W.B. Edmonds

Pte. P.L. Hainer            Pte. H. Pearson

Pte. H.J. Sackrider        Pte. G. McGregor

  

In the 1950s, when the new Norwich High School opened, the cenotaph was moved to its grounds. The names of those who had perished during WWII were also added to the left and right sides of the monument:

Left Side: 

Robert Alexander

Norman Andrews

Russell Avey 

Jack Bowman 

L. Boyce 

Roger Burrill 

Jeffrey Chalk 

Reg. Cole 

Geoffrey Coward 

Harry Dair 

Alex. Daiken 

Ray L. Frain 

Harvey Hayes 

Raymond Hooper 

John Kennerly 

  

Right Side:

William Kennedy

Jack Kennedy

Howard Lossing

Donald Lees

Norman Meldrum

Theo McCready

Bev. Newton

Matthew Potts

Robert Rice

Robert Roloson

Brock Robertson

Robert Reid

Arthur Smith

Arthur Steinstra

LeClare Walker

John Yule

The Weeping Lady is said to represent the spirit of Canada, bowing in grief and sorrow, and weeping for her lost sons. Although a number of cenotaphs in the county have a sculpture of a soldier erected on top of its base, the Norwich cenotaph is the only one that has a woman represented.

For more information about the Norwich Cenotaph, as well as other Cenotaphs in the County, please visit the Archives webpage: https://oxfordcounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Shortlist/index.html?appid=36ee006e917743379c41b836ee6b6797 

Image credit:

COA123 #3-72 Norwich Cenotaph in front of the original High School. – [before August 1949]. – Negative: b/w; 10.5 x 8 cm.