Historic Sites of Manitoba: Knox Presbyterian Church / Trinity United Church (15 Tupper Street South, Portage la Prairie)

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

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

Trinity United Church

Trinity United Church (June 2017)
Source: George Penner

Interior of Trinity United Church

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

First World War commemorative plaque from Grace Methodist Church

First World War commemorative plaque from Grace Methodist Church (December 2019)
Source: Darryl Toews

First World War commemorative plaque from Grace Methodist Church

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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