Memorial plaques for local soldiers no longer languishing in church basement
They were intended to be everlasting memorials — and now, they will be.
Three memorial plaques listing dozens of Londoners who served in World War I and World War ll have found a permanent home in the entrance to the Hamilton Road Seniors Centre.
The plaques were originally displayed at the Hyatt Avenue United Church on Hamilton Road and subsequently at the Fairmont United Church on Tweedsmuir Avenue before the churches closed.
Mike Lee, whose father, uncle, grandfather and great uncle are listed on the plaques reached out to Reverend Jeff Crittenden of the Metropolitan United Church, who provided him with the plaques.
Lee worked with city hall to have the plaques displayed permanently in the same neighbourhood where many of the young men and women lived.
“All of the men and women listed on these plaques walked the streets of the Hamilton Road community, and some never returned. These plaques will remind us of that,” Lee explains.
One of the young men was George Mount, great-uncle of Irene Mathyssen, who died at the Somme in 1918.
“This quiet sweet young man who grew up on Egerton Street, shipped out just before his 21st birthday and they never saw him again,” she says.
Lee says many of the soldiers honoured on the plaque have family legacies that live on in London.
“I hope when people come in they’ll recognize some of the surnames and ask some questions, ask a parent or grandparent if they new that person or know that name,” Lee says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.