Earlier this year, military historian Guy Black told The Tri-City News he was searching for stories about Port Moody veterans.
It didn't matter what war they had fought in: the First and Second World Wars, Korea or Afghanistan. Black even called for peacekeepers to step forward and anyone with a defence background who could help him unfurl the past.
Black said it was time Port Moody residents put a face to the names of the local heroes and publicly thank them for their sacrifice.
From The Tri-City News article, four living vets with ties to Port Moody contacted Black. Families also reached out with tales about their relatives.
Their stories, wartime letters and service photos were enough for Black to organize a show leading up to Remembrance Day at PoMo city hall.
Next week, Peace and Remembrance: A Celebration of Port Moody's Veterans, will offer insight about vets Edward Hanson, Leslie McCrea, Arthur Kreut, Bill Berrow, Svend Hansen, Jeffrey Becker, John "Chip" Kerr VC, and Hugh, Thomas and Ron Kernighan. And it will also include artwork from Grade 4 and 5 students at Moody elementary plus paintings by Evelia Espinosa's students, bringing a youth component into the display.
Black said he was especially pleased to receive a photo of McCrea, whose name is engraved on a bronze plaque on the Ioco townsite.
McCrea and schoolmates Edward Hanson and Arthur Kreut were in their 20s when they enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War; three days before D-Day, McCrea was killed while flying over France. Hanson and Kreut also did not come back.
Black, a former reservist with the Canadian Military Engineers based in North Vancouver and a 20-year Port Moody resident, said he hopes the exhibit will bring more veterans' stories to light and his aim is to grow the display each year.
"I really want to expand on this," Black said. "I don't want our history to be lost."
• Peace and Remembrance: A Celebration of Port Moody's Veterans will run from Nov. 7 to 12 at Port Moody city hall (100 Newport Dr.). To contact Guy Black, email [email protected].
@jcleughTC
