A Tribute to our fallen heroes, 80 years later 

Arts & Heritage

A plaque honouring the men of St. Matthew’s Church who died in the Second World War hangs on the church wall. 

Photo: Kevan Pipe 

 

A Tribute to our fallen heroes, 80 years later 

By Kevan Pipe 

 

In remembrance of the 80th anniversary of VE Day on May 8, 2025, we honour the 32 servicemen from St. Matthew’s Anglican Church who sacrificed their lives during World War II.  

Since the September 2017 edition of the Glebe Report, we have had the privilege of recounting the valour of these young men and have ensured their legacies remain alive within our community. Their names are displayed on bronze wall plaques in the church’s southeast corner, and we invite the public to view this tribute. 

 

Who were these men?  

They were our friends and neighbours, many of whose descendants still live in Ottawa and across Canada. They lived in the Glebe and attended St. Matthew’s. They were privates and sergeants, lieutenants, captains, pilots and wing commanders. 

They went to school at Mutchmor, First Avenue, Glashan and Kent Street, then went on to Ottawa Technical High School, Ottawa (now Lisgar) Collegiate, Ashbury and Glebe Collegiate. Six went to Kingston, either to Royal Military College or Queen’s University. Two went to University of Ottawa, and there were graduates from McGill, University of Toronto, Victoria College at University of British Columbia and Western. Many were athletes, some were musicians, all were scholars.  

Many died on the battlefields across France, Italy and the Low Countries. They were shot down from the skies of Europe, torpedoed, lost at sea. Others died protecting Hong Kong and Burma. 

They were teenagers. They were husbands. They were fathers in their mid-30s. Some were race winners at St. Matthew’s church picnics, others were choristers. Some were married at the church, some had funerals there. Some were single, some were married. Some had young children.  

Some died in military accidents and training exercises in Canada, the U.S., Iceland and England. Some died from serious illnesses incurred during military service. 

Others were decorated for bravery on the fields of battle, including one who personally negotiated the surrender of a French village and singularly escorted 2,000 German troops away; he was killed shortly thereafter. Many were lost, their bodies never found, often in the North Atlantic or the North Sea. 

They were men of the Black Watch, the “Princess Pats,” the Cameron Highlanders, the Grenadier Guards and others. They were airmen with multiple RCAF and RAF Squadrons. They were on board naval vessels, including the doomed HMCS Ottawa and the troop ship SS Nerissa. 

They represented all services and are remembered today in war cemeteries across Europe and Asia as well as at Beechwood and Pinecrest in Ottawa. They are remembered at Ashbury, Lisgar and Glebe Collegiate; at Queen’s and RMC, University of Ottawa, Western and McGill. They are remembered at RCAF, RAF and Bomber Command memorials on both sides of the Atlantic as well as other memorials in Hong Kong, Myanmar, Halifax and Ottawa.  

And in so many cases, on family headstones here in Ottawa, with their parents, who never recovered from their unstoppable grieving of the loss of their young and precious sons. 

They are our heroes from the more than 300 families in our neighbourhood who served Canada in this global conflict. Their ages ranged from 19 to 33, averaging out at just 25. They hailed from various streets in our neighbourhood, including the Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Isabella, Clemow, Renfrew, Muriel, Lyon, Hinton, Fifth, Patterson, Bronson, Glendale, Third, Findlay, Flora, Grove, Percy, Gladstone, Powell and Strathcona. 

Here’s a look at their service and backgrounds: 

  • Service branches: 
  • Royal Canadian Army: 15  
  • Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF): 16  
  • Royal Canadian Navy (RCN): 1 
  • Education: 

High School: 

  • Glebe Collegiate Institute: 17 
  • Ottawa Technical High School: 3 
  • Ashbury College: 1 

University: 

  • Queen’s: 4 
  • Royal Military College: 2 
  • Other universities: 5 
  • Canadian military units: 
  • Army: Regiments such as Prince Edward & Hastings, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Glengarry Highlanders and more. 
  • Air Force: Squadrons including RCAF’s 408th, 420th, 407th and RAF’s 35th, 107th, 158th, among others. 
  • Navy: HMCS Ottawa. 

Let us remember and honour their legacy this VE Day. “With the going down of the sun, they shall not be forgotten.” 

James B. Anderson

George Jackman 

Gault Robinson

William Cowling 

Edward A. Langman

Donald F. Shearn 

Sydney Darling

Mervyn Lowry 

Gordon Sim

John S. Dunlevie 

Harold Magladry

Gerald Snow 

Harold C. Fisher

Richard Maundrell 

Donald J. Sterling

Walter D. Gardner 

John R. Maynard

John D. Twigg 

George Gould

Henry E. Murdoch* 

Linley D. Wetmore

Robert Graham 

Lionel M. Palmer

Arthur C. Wilkinson 

Alfred Hall

William Paveley 

Charles Williams

Clement W. Hall 

David M. Price

William J. Windeler

Leonard Igglesden

Keith F. Wright

  

Kevan Pipe is a Glebe resident and member of St. Matthew’s, The Anglican Church in The Glebe. 

 

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