History of Richmond Hill, Ontario - The Great War

The Great War

The Richmond Hill Women's Institute's was formed on January 27, 1913 holding their first meeting in the masonic hall. Their meetings usually focused on domestic matters, but they did support the "Votes for Women" campaigns run by the national and provincial women's institutes, and help establish local women in more prominent places in society. Their efforts put two women on the village's Fair Board in 1917. The first woman elected to any position in Richmond Hill was Mrs. O.L. Wright, a member of the Women's Institute elected to the Richmond Hill School Board as a trustee in 1932.

The onset of World War I also pushed women into leading roles in the community. Eighty nine men from Richmond Hill served in Canada's armed forces. Six men from Richmond Hill would be killed. The absent men opened many opportunities for women in the workforce, the volunteer agencies and areas of public service.

With the blossoming of the flower industry, the city's population began to rise rapidly. New homes were being built, with The Liberal counting 27 new homes in 1918. Williams Lawrence sold the unused parts of his greenhouse property as lots and began developing the subdivision of Roseview Gardens, around Roseview Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive.

The village council hired local carriage maker William Ashford Wright to design a crest for Richmond Hill in 1919. Wright patterned his designed after the 4th Duke of Richmond's crest, and included his motto as well: "En la Rose Je Fleuris", French for "Like the Rose, I flourish", which the town retains.