The Highlanders Window – a stained-glass window designed by Peter Haworth and dedicated on Sunday, 7 November 1937. Mrs. Thomas J. Clark donated the window out of her admiration for the Regiment. Sergeant George Elms posed for the artist little knowing that his son and grandson would also serve in the 48th.
As described in 1950 by Hon. Capt. Ross K. Cameron, Padre:
“The dominating figure in the large upper section is that of a Highlander in full dress scarlet, standing with reversed arms, hands clasped on the butt of the rifle, head bowed – an eloquent symbol of mourning and respect. At each side of him, of similar dimensions but in perspective behind, are two great soldiers of The Old Testament, Joshua and David the King, armed as in the days when they too, fought and suffered and grieved for fallen comrades.”
The scarlet uniform of the Highlander shows brilliantly and the skill of the design blends it appropriately into the fabric of the church.
The above text is quoted from Family of Volunteers: An illustrated history of the 48th Highlanders of Canada by George W. Beal. Click HERE for more information.
The tradition of reversing and resting on arms – that is, leaning on a weapon held upside down – has been a mark of respect or mourning for centuries, said to have originated with the ancient Greeks. Descriptions of sixteenth-century military funerals provide the earliest documented instances of carrying arms reversed.
