Description of Historic Place

The Strongfield Cenotaph, erected in 1947, is a Municipal Heritage Property in the Village of Strongfield. The site consists of a large steel sculpture of a soldier mounted on a steel base with affixed memorial tablets. The cenotaph occupies a prominent position along the roadway into the village.

Heritage Value

The Strongfield Cenotaph is of heritage value as a memorial to those from Strongfield who died in the First and Second World Wars. The tablets on the base of the statue record the names of six soldiers from Strongfield who died in the First World War and four who died in the Second World War. The cenotaph is the community’s only memorial to commemorate the wars and these soldiers.

The cenotaph is also of heritage value as the work of one of Canada’s most gifted artistic welders, Fred Clarke (1902-85). Fred Clarke was a welding instructor at the Moose Jaw Technical High School (now A.E. Peacock Technical High School) from 1931-47. His students manufactured the statue. Clarke was an award winning artist of national significance who was renowned for his attention to detail and his realistic portrayals. The life-sized statue in Strongfield of a soldier leaning upon his rifle exemplifies Clarke’s finest work with its fluid lines and impeccable attention to detail. The sculpture is one of Clarke’s largest works.

Due to the cenotaph’s prominent location on the street that enters and exits the village, its status as the singular monument in the community, and its role as the meeting place for memorial ceremonies, it is of heritage value as a community landmark.

Source:

Village of Strongfield No. 3/07.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Strongfield Cenotaph resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements of the property relating to the design of the cenotaph by Clarke and his students, such as its steel and welded construction comprising a life-sized statue of a soldier leaning upon his rifle, with a plain steel base;
- those elements of the property relating to its role as a memorial, such as the three tablets affixed to the base of the cenotaph naming deceased local soldiers;
-those elements relating to the landmark status of the cenotaph, such as its placement on its original location of prominence along the roadway that enters and exits the village.