More than a century ago, nearly 2,000 people stood in the rain to watch John Andrew Hope turn a key and open Perth’s Great War Memorial Hospital. On Thursday, Sept. 10, a smaller gathering returned to commemorate the man himself.
Among those in attendance were Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP John Jordan, Perth Mayor Judy Brown, councillors Isabel McRae and Gary Waterfield, hospital executives and representatives of the Ontario Heritage Trust.
The Ontario Heritage Trust unveiled a plaque recognizing Hope’s leadership in the creation of the Great War Memorial Hospital, a project born from tragedy and a determination to build something lasting.
“Hope brought people together around a shared purpose,” said John Ecker, chair of the Ontario Heritage Trust. “His story speaks to the lasting value of civic leadership.”
For Hope’s grandson, David Poynton, the occasion held significance both personally and for the broader community.
“For me personally this is a day of tremendous reverence and honour in the recognition of my grandfather, and I’m sure he’s looking down and smiling broadly, because today at the site of the Great War Memorial Hospital that he helped found and bring to fruition we’re going to put up a plaque that truly honours what he did,” Poynton told Hometown News.
The unveiling marked the culmination of a much more personal journey for Poynton.
“I began a quest of discovery after reading about my maternal grandfather Hope’s history,” said Poynton. “The story I uncovered filled me with awe and emotion.”
That story reaches back to the years immediately following the First World War, when Perth was dealing with the loss of local soldiers as well as the impact of the 1919 influenza pandemic. Together, the two events highlighted the community’s need for permanent hospital care.
At the time, there was some discussion of erecting a cannon to commemorate the fallen soldiers. Local women’s organizations, however, were among the first to propose creating a hospital that could meet the needs of the community while serving as a memorial to those who had lost their lives in the war.
Hope had returned from overseas service and was serving as president of Perth’s Great War Veterans’ Association when he became one of the proposal’s strongest champions.
Working alongside women’s organizations, veterans, municipal leaders and local donors, Hope helped build public support for the project and transform Victoria Hall into a 20-bed hospital.
He went on to serve as its first president.
“Through his compassion and leadership, he helped turn remembrance into a lasting community institution,” said Jordan.
The hospital was only the beginning of Hope’s lengthy career in public service.
He was appointed to the High Court of Ontario in 1933 and served on the Ontario Court of Appeal from 1945 until his death in 1954. He was also a governor of the University of Toronto and chaired Ontario’s Royal Commission on Education from 1945 to 1950.
For Poynton, who followed his grandfather into law, learning about that history prompted a desire to ensure Hope’s contribution was recognized beyond the stone marking the family plot at Perth’s Elmwood Cemetery.
With support from the Ontario Heritage Trust, the hospital and its foundation, a permanent provincial reminder of the man who helped transform remembrance into health care for his community now stands in front of the hospital.
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