The first cenotaph in St. Clair Township will be installed this fall.
The granite monument will be located at the Royal Canadian Legion Leslie Sutherland Branch 447 in Corunna.
It will include the names of 24 soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country dating back to the First World War.
Branch 447 Veteran Services Officer Shawn Osborne said the project started back in 2025, following a massive repair to a memorial at the Legion.
"We wanted to be able to establish something that gave true honour, not only to the fallen 24 soldiers within St. Clair Township, but we also wanted to honour those who have served as well," Osborne said.
He said it's hoped the monument will arrive in early September.
"It is the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion nationally, but for our Legion it's our 80th year, so it was important to execute this project this year and we also wanted to be able to bring our Remembrance Day ceremony from the clock tower in downtown Corunna, back to our Legion," Osborne said.
Ten interactive story boards will also be installed, recognizing the service of peacekeepers, Indigenous veterans, RCMP members and women, particularly in the medical field.
"Not only can you just go and physically read about different conflicts and peacekeeping missions and so forth, but there will be QR codes on each board, so especially with our youth interacting with smartphones and that sort of stuff, they can scan that QR code and learn more about what actually happened," Osborne added.
He said the project fundraising campaign has nearly reached its target thanks to private and corporate donations.
"This community of ours is phenomenal when it comes to stepping up to things of importance, and I was overwhelmed by the amount of people wanting to not only volunteer, but businesses that donated equipment like heavy equipment to dig the stie out, and then of course the monetary donations that came in."
An official consecration of the new cenotaph is scheduled for October 30.
