PARKSVILLE -- Commemorative banners honouring local veterans who fought in the First and Second World Wars and whose names are etched on the Parksville cenotaph are being honoured with a new display.
Thirty-one banners line Highway 19A in downtown Parksville between McMillan and McVickers Streets.
Each banner depicts the name and image of a local veteran who fought in either war.
There are 60 names listed on the cenotaph from both wars and it has taken over seven months of extensive searching to get information and images of each individual.
“We find the name and everything, but you can’t find pictures, especially from the First World War,” said Parksville Mayor Ed Mayne.
“It’s very difficult and some people were just here for a couple months prior to the war breaking,” he said.
The city has received information and images locally from the Parksville Museum and Archives, the Times Colonist and the University of British Columbia Archives. Their search also received international help from archives in England and Ireland. Personal collections and other sources also contributed to the project.
Work is still being done to try and locate images and information from some remaining names on the Parksville cenotaph.
A list of veterans who still need images for their banners can be found here.
If you have any information that can help the city in its search, you can contact Deb Tardiff with the City of Parksville at 250-954-3073 or at dtardiff@parksville.ca.
The banners will be on display through November and the city says it will continue this commemoration each fall.
