Beginning in 1914
and lasting until
the fall of 1918,
Malvern
Collegiate's
children, not yet
old enough to vote
or even legally
drink, volunteered
to enter the
maelstrom of what
would be the
greatest and most
catastrophic war in
this country's
history
Like soldiers the world over
They were very young
They laughed and they cried
They fought and they died
Not for king, queen or flag
But for each other
For they were:
Poem’s Author: A Grade 10 Malvern Student
Students of MALVERN
AVENUE COLLEGIATE
fought and died as members
of the famed CANADIAN
CORPS, the only army in
the Great War never to lose
a single battle it fought.
From Vimy Ridge which
marked the first conclusive
offensive allied victory of
the war, to The Hundred
Days which ended it,
Malvern students fought and
died not as British or Empire
troops, but for the first time
in our history as Canadians.
A total of 25 Malvern students
lost their lives overseas during
the Great War
In Holland
Canadian soldiers are known as
The Liberators
Dutch Children as part of the school
program adopt the graves of
Canadian soldiers
Visiting veterans are
feted like rock stars
The sacrifices of this country are not forgotten
In Canada, many kids cannot
even explain when the wars
were fought
The staff students and parents
have started to change that
A program was started to
provide a human face to
those who defend and pay the
ultimate sacrifice for our
freedoms
Who were the Boys of Malvern?
Joseph Taylor
A student at Malvern Collegiate
Joseph lived at 70 Silver Birch
He enlisted at 15 (a grade 10 student)
Joseph died January 31, 1917 as part of the daily wastage
leading up to the Canadian assault on Vimy Ridge
He lies buried in France
He is not forgotten
Joseph is on the far left of the middle row
Joseph Taylor
Joseph would win no medals for bravery
He would do nothing more then be in the wrong place at the
wrong time and pay heavily for it
He was the teenaged son of a family who loved him dearly
Following his death, a telegram delivery boy would arrive at the
door bringing news that would shatter his family and forever
change their lives
His voice in the halls of Malvern would be forever lost
The Great War and all its savagery found Malvern
22 other Malvern
students like Joseph
lie buried or missing
in Europe
Malvern Students
Who Made The Supreme Sacrifice
Cecil Pugh Annis
Roy Wesley Kerr
William Kennedy Commins D.S.O. M.C.
Charles Simpson Lennox
Gordon Parsons Davidson
Charles William Mabbott
John Patrick Davidson
Harvey George Mansfield
Gordon Ezra Duke
Charles Percy May
Martin James Flood
Robert Fountain MacLuckie
Cecil John French M.C.
Arthur Jackson Smith Sisley
Arthur Patrick Gorman
Donovan Laurier Sisley
William Albert Heal
Harold Wilson Spence M.M.
William John Hird
Joseph Rollit Taylor
Walter James Hutchinson
John Archibald Trebilcock M.C.
Wilfred John Jones
Alsey Joseph Trebilcock
Murray Watson
On May 18, 1922 after a
community fundraising
effort, a memorial
cenotaph was constructed
and dedicated to the
memory of the fallen
Malvern students
The cenotaph was
constructed by Emmanuel
Hahn consisting
of a marble figure on a
limestone base
On its sides are embossed
the names of all 24
Malvern students who paid
the supreme sacrifice and
lie buried overseas
Emmanuel Hahn is famous as the
designer of the Bluenose on the dime,
Caribou on the quarter and the Adam
Beck memorial on University Avenue
in Toronto
The figure on the monument is none
other than Toronto’s young world
champion rower Ned Hanlan
It is also believed to be the first statue
of Ned Hanlan ever done dating the
one at Hanlan’s point by four years
Several years ago the cenotaph
was vandalized requiring part of
the right arm be removed. The
sword was broken off and stolen
Years of exposure to the weather
have taken their toll on the
exposed arm
The sad truth is that with the
current school funding
formula neither the Toronto
District School Board nor
Malvern Collegiate possesses
the funds to repair the
cenotaph
The Onward Malvern
Foundation, Centre 55 and
The Malvern School Council
believes that we cannot
permit the memory of the
sacrifices of these children to
be lost
The Boys Of Malvern Project Goals
To ensure the sacrifices of these students are remembered we have
developed a project with the following goals:
• Formally integrate the memory and accomplishments of the
Malvern students into the school’s History curriculum
• Bring a human face to the former students. They are more
than names on limestone
• Repair the statue as close as technically possible to the
condition it was in when it was dedicated
• Properly secure and protect the monument against future
vandalism
• Formally rededicate the monument upon restoration with a
full military dedication
Formally integrate the memory and
accomplishments of the Malvern
students into the school’s History
curriculum.
• Students understand that the names on the monument are
real people who attended this school
• Every student learn about the individual sacrifices of at
least one of the soldiers whose names appear on the
monument
• Unless the students learn of the sacrifice, the cenotaph
becomes a gravestone rather than a monument
Repair the statue as close as technically possible
to the condition it was in when it was dedicated.
Neglect and the elements have taken a toll
We have had the monument examined by
experts
Full restoration is achievable though expensive
A project has been commissioned to complete it
$75,000 is needed to:
Integrate the monument and the
memory of the fallen students
formally into the school curriculum
Properly restore the monument
Provide security to insure it is never
again vandalized
Formally rededicate the memorial
We need your help
For your contribution we can provide :
An income tax receipt
For corporate contributors, your logo as a sponsor on the
dedication program and the accompanying video and website for
the monument
An engraved thank you on the wall of honour at the school in
memory of your donation for donations in excess of $100
The gratitude of the students, parents of Malvern Collegiate and
the families of the fallen
Unfortunately nothing can be placed on the monument itself
Why are we doing this?
The answer is in the face of Charles Mabbot of 288 Main Street
and 23 other local kids who paid a dear price
They were real people with families who dearly loved them
A Boy of Malvern
The Toronto Star obituary on the death of
Charles Mabbott 19 days before the war’s
armistice.
He was more than just Private Mabbott. He was
also a member of the Malvern Collegiate Rugby
team.
He willingly left grade 11 at age 17 to go off to fight
in the greatest war this country has known
Thank You