As Remembrance Day approaches Vancouver Island University says they’ll be displaying a video memorial to honour Nanaimo soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice during both World Wars.
The memorial will be on display for the 11 days leading up to Remembrance Day and highlight the names of 200 soldiers in prominent locations across the city.
They say several stories will be shared in the video.
“Stories like Private Milford Devlin, who served on the 43rd Battalion during World War One and was killed in action in Sept. 1918 at the age of 24,” VIU says. “He interred at Anneux British Cemetary in Nord, France.
“Before the war, his profession was listed as a miner, and he was a resident of Nicol Street in Nanaimo.”
According to VIU, the names were gathered from the Dallas Cenotaph in the city’s downtown core and a special section will also highlight the contributions of local Indigenous soldiers, with the help of VIU Elder-in-Residence C’tas:a, Geraldine Manson.
She says anyone who fought and died to defend this country, and defending their families shouldn’t be forgotten.
“We, as Snuneymuxw People, raise our hands to all who so bravely fought for our freedom,” she says. “Their voices will echo through us, never to be forgotten.”
The video will be displayed on six screens across the city, as well as at the Welcome Centre at VIU’s Nanaimo Campus from Nov. 1 to 11.
