The Great War Memorial Tablets

As a memorial to staff who gave their lives in the Great War, The Bank of Nova Scotia commissioned about 60 bronze tablets, between July 1920 and February 1921, to be placed on the wall of the branch where each known staff member was employed when they joined the military forces.  These plaques listed the names of staff who had been killed on the field, as well as those who died from their wounds after they returned home from the war.  

In memory of those who served, the Scotiabank Archives is honoured to share the eight plaques that they have in their collection.  Over the years each tablet has come to develop its own patina. These varied finishes demonstrate their caretakers’ best intentions to maintain these memorials in good order.   

National Trust Company Limited

The National Trust Company commissioned J. E. H. MacDonald in 1921 to design a plaque with the names of all the men who enlisted in the Great War. 54 staff members from the National Trust Company enlisted for military service. Of these 54, 10 made the supreme sacrifice.  

On August 14, 1997, Scotiabank purchased the National Trust Company.

The Bank of Ottawa

The Bank of Ottawa was established in 1874 and it amalgamated with The Bank of Nova Scotia on April 30th, 1919. By the time The Great War had ended, 188 staff members of The Bank of Ottawa had enlisted for military service – 21 made the supreme sacrifice; 17 were wounded; 5 were made prisoners; and 2 were reported missing. 

The Scotiabank Archives has two plaques that list the names of Bank of Ottawa staff who served in the Great War.  

Egerton Bancks Baines

Branch: General Office, Toronto, Ontario
Country: Canada
Organization: The Bank of Nova Scotia

 

Alan Vincent Franke Trimble

Branch: The Bank of Nova Scotia Danforth & Pape Branch, Toronto, Ontario
Country: Canada
Organization: The Bank of Nova Scotia

Harold Webster Robertson

Branch: The Bank of Nova Scotia Sackville Branch, New Brunswick
Country: Canada
Organization: The Bank of Nova Scotia

Duncan MacPherson

Branch: The Bank of Nova Scotia Main Branch, Calgary, Alberta 
(Today known as the Commercial Banking Centre & Main Branch)
Country: Canada
Organization: The Bank of Nova Scotia

Andrew Edward Hector Hugh Mackay

Branch: The Bank of Nova Scotia Main Branch, Calgary, Alberta (Today known as the Commercial Banking Centre & Main Branch) 
Country: Canada 
Organization: The Bank of Nova Scotia

John Henry Campbell

Branch: The Bank of Nova Scotia Consecon Branch, Trenton, Ontario
Country: Canada
Organization: The Bank of Nova Scotia

Murray McKay Winchester

Branch: The Bank of Nova Scotia Bloor & Spadina Branch, Toronto, Ontario
Country: Canada
Organization: The Bank of Nova Scotia

Robert William Morison

Branch: Black River, Jamaica  
Country: Jamaica
Organization: The Bank of Nova Scotia