University of Saskatchewan restores Great war memorial tiles

Harry Accleton and his great-grandson Dorian Accleton share a personal connection to a war memorial at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada.

Harry Accleton worked as a painter and glazier for the university for nearly 50 years. During World War I, he served in the British Army before returning to Canada to help memorialize the university community.

He hand-painted the names of over 300 students, faculty, and staff members who enlisted into the war onto ceramic tile scrolls in the corridors of the College Building. The university faced a crisis during the war as more than 300 men left for the front, eventually leading to the death of 67 university members. To honor their service, the Board of Governors ordered the names of those who enlisted to be inscribed on the building's decorative frieze.

Harry Accleton, a veteran himself, performed this task. These tiles, which stretch over 570 feet, became a defining heritage feature of the Peter MacKinnon Building. Recent renovations and decades of wear caused the names to fade and the tiles to crack. Conservators used a Department of Canadian Heritage grant to restore the memorial. They cleaned the tiles with dental tools, filled cracks, and used reversible paint to restore the names.

Dorian Accleton now works in the university maintenance department and maintains a personal connection to the site by honoring his great-grandfather's name on the wall.