SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Those that risked life and limb for our freedom deserve a place where their honourable service can be remembered, said historian George Dalton while laying the groundwork for a memorial to become reality.
Dalton, a veteran with 41 years of service, is spearheading a ‘Wall of Remembrance' in Summerside’s Credit Union Place.
“Three students from Three Oaks Senior High School spent their summer researching every veteran in Prince County killed in the war. This was the first stage of the project. Through the province, we hired navy Lt. Michelle Hopping to work and guide them,” he said.
"People are now beginning to show reverence for those involved in the war and have come back with PTSD. We’re connecting with all kinds of people and feeling their pain." - Wayne Wright
Around 170 storyboards (consisting of pictures and key information) were created by the students on Prince County military personnel that served. Dalton, who is part of the Lest We Forget Community Veteran’s Committee Inc. hopes these storyboards will be displayed on the wall designated by the City of Summerside.
REMEMBRANCE DAY 2020
“Next fall, Remembrance Day has a lot of things to commemorate. This includes the liberation of the Dutch, and Victory in Europe Day (VE-Day) when the war ended. The committee will dig into our history, ask families, and those that served about their experiences,” he continued.
“We have been accepted with the tax status to get this project off the ground, and now we just need more volunteers in the committee.”
Among those volunteers are Wayne Wright, Erin Mundy and her husband Brett Montgomery.
"My grandfather, Don Moore, was a military veteran. He served for 38-years and he is a very important person in my life,” said Mundy. “I’ve seen and heard many stories of his time in the military. He was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”
BRAVE AND BROKEN
Moore joined Brave and Broken, a support group for veterans in Summerside. Mundy said she volunteers with the committee to give veterans like her grandfather the recognition they deserve.
“I want to help in any way I can. My husband,” she motioned to Montgomery, “knows firsthand what first responders have to deal with being in the police force, so he joined the committee to bring his perspective to the group.”
Montgomery noted that members of his family served in both the First and Second World Wars.
“My great-great-grandfather Donald Heath Montgomery was in the First World War with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) at Vimy Ridge in France. My other grandfather, Lorne Waite, was in the Second World War and drove a jeep, but both, fortunately, returned home,” he said.
Dalton plans to have a commemorative monument outside the Credit Union Place.
Inside the facility, and near the Wall of Remembrance, he hopes for an interactive touch screen monitor that will enable people to search for information about the individual veterans on the wall.
“People are now beginning to show reverence for those involved in the war and have come back with PTSD. We’re connecting with all kinds of people and feeling their pain,” said Wright.
“When my mother (in the navy) and father (in the army) enlisted during the Second World War, they were marching for peace, not war, and in that respect people are coming to the reality that we must take care of one another.”
Dalton recalled words of wisdom he received from a 99-year-old veteran: “While we have to look after our veterans, the most important people today are our youth. We have to educate them.”
A meeting to discuss plans, gain momentum for the project, and gather volunteers will be held at the Summerside Legion, located at 340 Notre Dame Street, on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.
