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Family members on hand to watch relatives added to Cenotaph's roll of honour (10 photos)

Family members in attendance Saturday as 43 names added to the Guelph Cenotaph at dedication ceremony

Roughly 100 people braved frigid temperatures Saturday at a dedication ceremony at the Guelph Cenotaph for names inadvertently left off the roll of honour.

They included descendants of some of those being honoured.

"That was my grandfather, a man I never met," said Frank Malott, whose grandfather Reginald Malott was one of the names added on Saturday.

Reginald Malott died of "acute military tuberculosis" in 1942 while serving as a gunner in the Canadian army. He was 32.

"Nobody really knew much because his children - my aunts and uncles - barely knew him too because they were so young," Frank Malott said.

"He had seven kids, but they're all passed away now. It's too bad that they couldn't be here to see their father be honoured like this."

A large group of the Malott family showed up Saturday for the event.

"We've got nieces, nephew, grandchildren and great grandchildren here," said Beatrice Blair, the niece of Reginald Malott.

In total there were 43 names added to the roll of honour - 33 names that were missing and 10 that were incorrectly represented previously.

The additions stem from research done by the Guelph Museums, names submitted from relatives and the hard work of local historian Ed Butts.

"I knew he was missing from it and always wondered why he was," Frank Malott said of his grandfather's omission.

"Somebody contacted me last year on Facebook and said they were thinking of adding names and I contacted the city," he said.

The names were read out loud, Mayor Cam Guthrie made some remarks, Rev. John Borthwick offered a prayer and Last Post was played.

On Sunday full Remembrance Day services will be held in Guelph, including the main one at the Sleeman Centre. Other ceremonies take place at McCrae House and the veteran's section of Woodlawn Cemetery.

 


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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