Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. John’s Memorial Church (Bethany, RM of Minto-Odanah)

Link to:
Clerics | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

This Anglican church at Bethany in the Rural Municipality of Minto-Odanah was constructed between 1916 and 1917 beside an existing rectory. It replaced an earlier church at a site north of town. The building was based on plans for a church at St. Mary's, Ontario. An opening dedication service was held on 23 September 1917.

As of 1920, congregations from All Saints Anglican Church and St. Mary’s Anglican Church in the RM of Clanwilliams and St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in the RM of Minto became a single parish under one Rector.

Honour rolls inside the church commemorate parishioners who were killed during military service in the First World War and Second World War.

Clerics

Period	Cleric
1892-1902	Edward Anthony Wharton Gill (1859-1944)
1902-1909	Rev. LaTouche Thompson
1910-1915	Robert Weston Ridgeway (1878-1946)
1915-1918	Rev. Joseph Henry Ridgeway
1919-1921	Robert Weston Ridgeway (1878-1946)
1921-1922	George Anderson Wells (1877-1964)
1922-1926	Rev. Charles G. M. Littler
1927-1932	Rev. James Irwin McKinney
1932-1933	Nelson C. Smith (1887-1968)
1934-1935	Capt. G. F. Bickley
1935-1938	Rev. Fred C. Whittington
1938-1942	Rev. Eric J. Whiting
1942-1944	Rev. Ralph N. Sadleir
1944-1946	Canon Powell S. S. Bryon Arthur Woodcock
1946-1949	Rev. H. H. Vines
1949-1951	Rev. Edgar Hyett
1952-1954	Rev. C. W. J. Salmon
1954-?	Rev. Leonard J. Hales
?-?	Rev. G. Cox
?-?	Rev. G. Kerr
?-?	Rev. B. H. Stacey
?-?	Rev. Murray Ames
?-?	Rev. Ralph Jacobs
?-?	Rev. James McCurry
?-?	Father Edward A. Scully
?-?	Rev. Paul Crossland
?-?	Deacon Ann Crossland
?-?	Rev. Peter Brian Falk

Photos & Coordinates

Front view of St. John’s Memorial Church in Bethany (June 2011) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Rear view of St. John’s Memorial Church in Bethany (June 2011) Source: Gordon Goldsborough St. John’s Memorial Church in Bethany (July 2023) Source: Kathryn Hyndman Interior of St. John’s Memorial Church in Bethany (August 2017) Source: George Penner First World War honour roll in St. John’s Memorial Church in Bethany (August 2025) Source: Glen Toews Second World War honour roll in St. John’s Memorial Church in Bethany (August 2025) Source: Glen Toews Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.31264, W99.75161 denoted by symbol on the map above

First World War

Name	Occupation	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date
Harold Joseph Ash [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	24 June 1894	8 August 1918
John Attenborough [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	5th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	11 January 1886	18 May 1915
John Walter Arthur Bryson [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farm Labourer	5th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	12 February 1895	9 April 1917
Sam Carter [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farm Labourer	5th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	18 June 1884	6 June 1916
Harry Cook [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	24 March 1895	9 April 1917
Edgar Hutchinson Eldred [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	16 April 1887	15 September 1916
George Basil Ewens [Agricultural College, Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	5th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	8 September 1888	27 December 1914
Harold John Hulbert [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	5th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	1 October 1896	24 April 1915
Charles Gabriel King [Clanwilliam]	Labourer	107th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	30 April 1889	30 April 1918
James Madill [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	44th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	8 February 1887	28 October 1917
Alfred John Minns [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Private	9 March 1884	12 December 1919
George Pedersen [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Private	10 June 1889	11 April 1917
Ernest Albert Proven [Clanwilliam]	Farmer	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Private	13 December 1895	12 April 1917
Harry James Proven [Clanwilliam]	Farmer	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Sergeant	2 January 1893	29 September 1918
Hugh Lewin Rance [Clanwilliam]	Farmer	27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	6 March 1885	9 April 1917
John Alfred Raney [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	52nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	3 October 1887	8 August 1918
Hugh Robert Sanderson [Clanwilliam, Minnedosa]	Farmer	1st Canadian Mounted Rifles	Private	26 March 1893	26 October 1917
Charles Thompson [Clanwilliam]	Laborer	38th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	15 April 1879	30 October 1917

Second World War

Name	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date
Herbert Alfred Chislett [Minnedosa]	50 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Flight Sergeant	5 December 1918	16 August 1942
Roy Harold Dow [Clanwilliam, Flin Flon, Minnedosa]	Royal Winnipeg Rifles	Rifleman	24 December 1915	21 February 1945
Allan Andrew Johnston [Stonewall]	407 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Warrant Officer Class II	19 May 1913	13 August 1943
Clifford Johnston [Stonewall]	283 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Flight Sergeant	7 March 1920	18 October 1943
Allan James Lefurgey [Minnedosa]	Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s)	Private	29 July 1922	24 October 1944
Mervyn Harold Payne	HMS Implacable, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve	Acting Sub Lieutenant	3 May 1925	12 June 1945
Allan Russel	?	?	?	?
Gerald Harvey Woodcock [Clanwilliam, Erickson, Minnedosa]	78th Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Flight Sergeant	18 October 1918	30 July 1943
Kenneth John Woodcock [Clanwilliam, Erickson, Minnedosa]	Royal Winnipeg Rifles	Rifleman	8 July 1920	30 March 1945

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: All Saints Anglican Church and Cemetery (RM of Minto-Odanah)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. John’s Anglican Cemetery (RM of Minto-Odanah)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Andrew’s Anglican Church / Westhope School No. 580 / Westhope Cemetery (RM of Minto-Odanah)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Mary’s Anglican Church Monument (Third Street, Clanwilliam, RM of Minto-Odanah)

Sources:

Our Story, A Legacy: Bethany and District by Bethany History Book Committee, 2000, pages 27-28.

We thank George Penner, Kathryn Hyndman, David Ford, Glen Toews, and Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 September 2025

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