As the Second World War was nearing its end in 1945, the Commander of Camp Chilliwack, Lt. Col. C.N. Mitchell, VC, MC, received a suggestion that a monument or plaque be crafted to honour all the Canadian Sappers who had given their lives to protect our freedom. Inspired to improve this idea, Mitchell set plans in motion for a much grander memorial - a Cenotaph and Park that would honour all Commonwealth Sappers. Mitchell directed Major Williams of A6 Canadian Engineer Training Centre to design this cenotaph and tasked Major Davies to select and prepare a site for a Memorial Park. A site was chosen near the main entrance to Camp Chilliwack, and geologist Major N.B. Gillies and his team set out to find a suitable quarry site in the area.
A quarrying camp was set up at the north end of Harrison Lake, where there was a deposit of Monzonite, approximately 22 miles from Camp Chilliwack. This stone is found in volcanic regions around the world and looks similar to granite, except it has little or no quartz. After three months of quarrying in the cold, wet winter weather, a 42-ton solid piece of Monzonite and numerous other smaller pieces were loaded onto a modified Valentine Tank chassis under the guidance of Major T.A.V. Tremblay of Bridging Wing. This prime mover was then loaded onto a pontoon raft and ferried downriver. Within a few miles of the offloading point, the raft ran aground on a gravel bar and nearly capsized. If not for the determination of Lt. Col. Mitchell and Major Davies to acquire a powerful tugboat from Vancouver, the raft and its precious cargo would have been lost.
Major Williams designed the four-sided, chamfered cenotaph shaft that stood 16 feet high on a square stone base. Four large bronze swords, symbolic of courage and the military, would be mounted on each face. Experienced stonemasons Staff Sergeant Crowe, Corporal Bloomfield, Corporal Thatcher and Sapper Forster worked tirelessly over nine months to cut and shape the final monument.
Assembly of the base and the erection of the column were not without challenges, but eventually all was successful, and the results were both monumental and inspiring. Large bronze grenades bearing the motto ‘UBIQUE’ were cast and mounted at each of the four corners to symbolize sappers’ worldwide actions.
Mr. Booth, a well-known landscape gardener of New Westminster and father to Sapper Booth, generously gave his time, trees and shrubs to landscaping the park around the Cenotaph.
On 14 July 1946, the Governor General of Canada, His Excellency, Viscount Alexander of Tunis, KG, GCB, GCMG, CSI., DBO., MC, LLD, ADC, unveiled the finished monument in a dedication ceremony attended by several thousand sappers, civilians and community members. The All Sappers’ Memorial Park and Cenotaph is dedicated to the memory of all Sappers of the Commonwealth who paid the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country. Annual ceremonies continue to be held at the cenotaph in remembrance of those who gave their lives. From start to finish, it was a monument designed and crafted by Sappers for All Sappers “Everywhere” UBIQUE.
A major restoration of the site was undertaken in 2009, and the words “AFGHANISTAN 2001-2014” were added to the south face in 2015 to honour our fallen Sappers of this war. See an update HERE.
