On (Highway) County Road 2, Maitland, just west of Church St. on the north side. Easiest to walk here from the Founding of Maitland plaque.
Commemoration
Born at Lachute, Quebec, MacDowell moved to Maitland in 1897. He attended local schools and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1915. During World War I, he enlisted, on January 9, 1915, in the 38th Battalion, C.E.F. On April 9, 1917, during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, assisted by two runners, he captured two machine guns, two officers, and seventy-five men. With the vision of the enemy obscured by a turn in a passage in their dug-out, he was able to convince them that he commanded a vastly superior force. His action eliminated a serious obstacle to the gaining of his battalion's objective, and he was awarded the British Empire's highest decoration for valour, the Victoria Cross.
Background
McDowell was born on September 16, 1890. He grew up in Brockville, Ontario where he joined the local militia. Upon graduation from U of T with a B.A., he received a commission in the 38th (Ottawa) Canadian Infantry Battalion (now the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa).
After the Great War, he was an executive with mining and chemical companies. From 1923-28, he was the Private Secretary to the Minister of National Defence. He died in Nassau, Bahamas in 1960.
This is another example of descendants of Loyalists taking up the King’s service in a later war. This time, the Americans were allies.