Perth hospital to honour First World War veteran John Andrew Hope with Ontario Heritage Trust plaque

A First World War veteran whose legacy helped shape health care, education and public life in Ontario will soon be recognized with a provincial heritage plaque in his hometown.

The Ontario Heritage Trust will unveil a plaque honouring John Andrew Hope next month at the Perth site of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital. The special ceremony is part of the wider recognition for the Ontario Heritage Trust’s Provincial Plaque Program, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2026.

The new marker will join nearly 1,300 Ontario Heritage Trust plaques across the province commemorating people, places, events and structures that have helped shape Ontario’s history and heritage.

According to the Ontario Heritage Trust, the unveiling is being held in partnership with Hope’s grandsons, David Charles Poynton and the late Thomas John Poynton, as well as the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital and its foundation.

Hope is being recognized for a lifetime of service that extended well beyond the battlefield. Guided by what the Ontario Heritage Trust describes as loyalty, courage and discipline, Hope returned to Perth after the First World War and played a key role in establishing Perth’s Great War Memorial Hospital, which provided care for returning soldiers and filled an important need in the growing community.

Trust officials shared that Hope’s public service continued to grow and diversify in the decades that followed. He was appointed King’s Counsel, served as a judge, became a governor of the University of Toronto and chaired Ontario’s Royal Commission on Education.

After being unveiled on Sept. 10, the plaque will be installed permanently on the hospital grounds, recognizing both Hope’s military service and his lasting contributions to the Town of Perth and the province at large.