Veteran Remembrance Banner Program
October 6, 2020
From October 13 through November, commemorative banners to honour local veterans who gave their lives in World War I and World War II, will be displayed along Highway 19A between McMillan and McVickers Streets.
Earlier this year, Council approved the veteran banner program to honour the veterans whose names are listed on the Parksville Cenotaph. There are sixty names on the Cenotaph from the two world wars and through extensive research we have been able to obtain images and information for thirty-one veterans.
Research for the project began in April and although it has presented some incredible findings, it has also posed many challenges. Our experienced researcher, Valda Stefani, has been pleased to pursue the veterans’ stories even though archives worldwide were closed for months due to the pandemic. Valda established relationships with military museums and other researchers and conducted interviews to ensure we were able to put faces to as many names as possible. Many of the local young men who enlisted, especially in World War I, had recently arrived from places as far away as the United Kingdom and Australia and were too young to have started families, adding to the challenge of finding photographs. We received images from archives in England, Ireland, Parksville Museum and Archives, UBC Archives, Times Colonist, personal collections and other sources.
Many residents have shared personal stories and valuable information about family members, information not otherwise obtainable through archives or museums. This process of gathering information and stories to personalize the lives of these veterans has been rewarding. Over the next year, our research will continue and as the program evolves, we will share photographs and stories on our website. We will continue our search for information and if you can help, contact Deb Tardiff (250 954-3073; dtardiff@parksville.ca.) Our website details the missing information and as well as the veterans listed on the Cenotaph.
QUOTE: “As a community, it is important we remember and recognize the ultimate sacrifice made by our veterans. The City is extremely proud of this project and honoured to launch this ongoing memorial banner project. As residents drive along Highway 19A, we hope they will take a moment to reflect on the significance.” Mayor Ed Mayne, City of Parksville
Edmund Campbell Dunn – World War I Edmund Campbell Dunn came to Parksville from England, probably around 1910 o
r 1911. The son of a reverend, he was well educated and a fully qualified solicitor. He bought a ranch here and raised poultry. He joined the Canadian Infantry, BC Regiment, 7th Battalion as a sergeant and was killed by machine gun fire during an attack on enemy positions at Mount Sorrel, Belgium on June 3, 1916. He was 31.
Verity Everest – World War II A green-eyed, red-haired young man who played sports during his school days here in Parksville
and Qualicum, Verity Everest joined the Air Cadets in his two years at Victoria High School. He worked as a joiner’s helper at Yarrows. Keen to fly, he enlisted with the RCAF in 1943 and flew with Squadron 98 in a Mitchell Twin Engine bomber which was shot down during night operations in France. It was the night of June 13, 1944, and Verity Everest was 19.
PHOTO (left to right)
Mayor Ed Mayne,
Valda Stefani, Project Research
Ken Griffith, President, Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #49 – Mt Arrowsmith
