Link to:
Clerics | Photos & Coordinates | Sources
The Trinity United Church building on Tupper Street South in Portage la Prairie, known initially as the Knox Presbyterian Church, was designed by the Toronto architectural firm of James Avon Smith and John Gemmell. Construction in 1897 was supervised by Winnipeg architect Henry Sandham Griffith.
Plaques inside the church commemorate parishioners of Knox Presbyterian Church and Grace Methodist Church who served and were killed during the First World War.
Clerics (Knox Presbyterian)
Period |
Cleric |
1862-1867 |
Rev. Fletcher |
1867-1873 |
Rev. Alexander Mathewson |
1874-1887 |
Rev. Alan Bell |
1888-1899 |
Dr. Peter Wright |
1899-1904 |
Rev. George Arnold |
1905-1911 |
Rev. Thurlow Fraser |
1912-1917 |
Rev. G. Watt Smith |
1918-1925 |
Dr. Peter Scott |
1925-1935 |
Dr. J. W. Cruikshank |
Clerics (Grace Methodist)
Period |
Cleric |
1872-? |
Rev. Michael Fawcett |
?-? |
Rev. William Halstead |
?-? |
Rev. J. Hewitt |
?-? |
Rev. James Woodworth |
Clerics (Trinity United)
Period |
Cleric |
1935-1938 |
Rev. Hyslop Dickson |
1938-1943 |
Rev. George Abernethy |
1943-? |
Rev. Allan Martin |
Photos & Coordinates

Postcard view of Knox Presbyterian Church (circa 1910)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2015-0055

Trinity United Church (June 2017)
Source: George Penner

Interior of Trinity United Church (June 2017) Source: George Penner

First World War commemorative plaque from Grace Methodist Church (December 2019) Source: Darryl Toews
First World War commemorative plaque from Knox Presbyterian Church (December 2019) Source: Darryl Toews
Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.97228, W98.29153 denoted by symbol on the map above
|
First World War Casualties (Grace Methodist Church)
Name |
Occupation |
Service |
Rank |
Birth Date |
Death Date |
Cecil George Burton
[Portage] |
Tinsmith
|
1st Armoured Regiment, Royal Canadian Dragoons
|
Lance Corporal
|
26 July 1891
|
10 August 1918
|
James Crickmore Craig
[Portage] |
Farmer
|
1st Battalion, Canadian Machine Gun Corps
|
Corporal
|
2 December 1890
|
10 August 1918
|
Herbert Allison Crust
[Portage, Oakland] |
Student
|
43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Private
|
21 April 1894
|
29 August 1918
|
Elmer Cecil Dalzell
[Portage] |
Hardware Clerk
|
5th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Private
|
21 September 1893
|
9 April 1917
|
James Robertson Duff
[Portage] |
Dentist
|
43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Lieutenant
|
15 November 1879
|
8 October 1916
|
Charles Edgar Dykeman
[Portage] |
Accountant
|
43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Lieutenant
|
21 March 1886
|
8 October 1916
|
John Henry Froats
[Portage] |
Plumber
|
27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Private
|
18 November 1897
|
21 August 1917
|
Frederick Henry Leppard
[Portage] |
Cashier
|
1st Canadian Mounted Rilfes
|
Corporal
|
18 October 1892
|
30 October 1918
|
Thomas Sherman Logan
[Portage] |
Jeweller
|
43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Private
|
9 November 1894
|
8 October 1916
|
John Paterson Maguire |
Railroad Man
|
29th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Private
|
4 December 1893
|
5 November 1920
|
Claude Elliott Matthews
[Beaver Creek, Union Church of Beaver, Portage] |
Farmer
|
27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Private
|
19 May 1894
|
6 November 1917
|
Edgerton Dolmage Neelands
[Portage] |
Driver Motor
|
4th Canadian Division, Machine Gun Company, Yukon Motor Machine Gun Battery
|
Private
|
3 November 1882
|
23 September 1918
|
Ira Stanley Nixon
[Melita, Portage] |
Tinsmith
|
5th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Private
|
25 September 1893
|
4 August 1917
|
Ernest Prout
[Portage] |
Tinsmith
|
78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Private
|
27 September 1891
|
26 November 1917
|
Stanton Iris Robinson
[Portage] |
Farmer
|
29th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Private
|
30 August 1896
|
24 July 1916
|
Norman James Thomas MM
[Portage, Wesley College] |
Student
|
28th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
|
Lieutenant
|
9 March 1894
|
6 November 1917
|
James Harrison Thompson
[Amaranth, Portage] |
Farmer
|
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles
|
Private
|
26 February 1884
|
31 October 1917
|
First World War Casualties (Knox Presbyterian Church)
Name |
Occupation |
Service |
Rank |
Birth Date |
Death Date |
William Creighton Bowman
[Portage] |
Student |
Private |
1st Field Ambulance, Canadian Army Medical Corps |
10 May 1897 |
8 August 1918 |
Frank Telford Brindell
[Next of Kin, Portage] |
Stenographer |
Private |
85th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
22 January 1897 |
2 September 1918 |
William Daum
[Portage] |
Hardware Clerk |
Private |
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles |
9 July 1896 |
28 March 1917 |
Thomas R. Douglas |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Allan Francis
[Portage] |
Clerk |
Private |
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles |
23 April 1893 |
23 April 1917 |
Robert MacDonald
[Portage] |
Clerk |
Private |
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles |
24 April 1894 |
15 September 1916 |
Alexander Mackie
[Portage] |
Farmer |
Private |
43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
5 March 1890 |
26 October 1917 |
William Lee Mawhinney
[108 Battalion, Law Society, Portage] |
Barrister |
Lieutenant |
54th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
15 June 1892 |
2 March 1917 |
Albert Milton McCaig
[Portage] |
Clerk |
Private |
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles |
28 March 1893 |
3 September 1917 |
Angus Norman McCuaig
[Portage] |
Railroad Brakeman |
Private |
43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
4 October 1893 |
8 October 1916 |
Malcolm Roderic McCuaig |
Seaman |
Private |
67th Battalion, Canadian Infantry & Royal Flying Corps |
24 March 1892 |
4 November 1918 |
George Douglas McKay
[Portage] |
Miller |
Private |
1st Canadian Mounted Rifles |
23 January 1894 |
11 October 1916 |
Alexander McNab
[Portage, Sidney, Telephones] |
Telephone Inspector |
Sergeant |
10th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
21 August 1891 |
24 May 1915 |
John Nicholson
[Brandon Armoury, Portage] |
Farm Hand |
Private |
18th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
20 October 1897 |
23 May 1917 |
Frank Stanley Oliver MM
[Portage] |
Clerk |
Private |
29th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
24 July 1889 |
3 April 1919 |
James Peden
[Portage] |
Laborer |
Private |
28th Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
1 April 1896 |
15 September 1916 |
Douglas Smith
[Agricultural College, Portage] |
Student |
Lieutenant |
43rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry |
22 October 1897 |
28 August 1918 |
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Henry Sandham Griffith (1865-1943)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: First Presbyterian Church (17 Royal Road South, Portage la Prairie)
Sources:
[Architectural drawings], United Church of Canada Archives, Toronto, Ontario.
For the names of First World War casualities from Manitoba who do not appear on any physical monument in the province, see the Manitoba Historical Society War Memorial. If you know of a name that is omitted from this list, please contact the MHS War Memorial Researcher Darryl Toews (darryl@mhs.mb.ca).
Soldiers of the First World War - Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.
Canadian Virtual War Memorial, Veterans Affairs Canada.
Financial support for research reported on this page was provided by the Manitoba Heritage Grants Program (2015-2016).
We thank Robert Hill for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, Darryl Toews, and George Penner.
Page revised: 24 August 2023
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