John Chipman 'Chip' Kerr is back in Port Moody.
On Sunday, a stone marker honouring the WWI hero was unveiled in front of the McLean Residence as part of the city’s celebration of Heritage Week.
The protected heritage home at 2224 Clarke St. was Kerr’s residence from 1947 until he passed away in 1963.
Kerr was awarded the Victoria Cross for his role in the surrender and capture of 62 enemy soldiers during the Battle of the Somme on Sept. 16, 1916. The former lumberjack and homesteader was a private in the 49th Battalion during a bombing attack at Courcelette, France, when the bombs started running out. He loaded up his bayonet and ran along the fortified berm at the back of his unit’s trenches until he was able to fire upon the enemy.
Kerr inflicted heavy losses and the enemy soldiers, thinking they were surrounded, surrendered.
During the assault, Kerr lost his fingers, but he didn’t stop to tend to his wounds until all the prisoners had been taken.
“We honour Mr. Kerr for his public service and his courage in the face of overwhelming obstacles,” said Coun. Hunter Madsen, chair of Port Moody’s heritage commission, at the unveiling.
After the war, Kerr returned to his homestead in Alberta. He worked in the oil patch and as a forest ranger before moving to Port Moody.
The city dedicated Chip Kerr Park in Kerr’s honour in 2006 and Port Moody Legion Branch 119 also named its meeting hall after him. But the hall was closed on Jan. 1, 2015, to make way for a new development that is almost complete.
Mayor Mike Clay said it’s important the city publicly acknowledge its builders.
“Port Moody was built and nurtured by strong and courageous individuals who saw the value in working for the benefit of the community as a whole,” Clay said.
The stone marker program was established in 1999 to recognize people or events that made a significant contribution to the civic, cultural, or societal history of Port Moody. Kerr’s marker, which includes a bronze plaque describing his heroics in the war and contribution to the city, is the 12th to be installed at various locations.
