Pitt Meadows Remembers

Pitt Meadows remembers the sacrifice and service of our forces in many ways including in Rolls of Honour, the Cenotaph, and our veteran banners.

Rolls of Honour

There are two rolls of Honour for our community. They reside inside the Little White Church at the corner of Harris and Ford Road. Both Rolls of Honour are beautifully hand-rendered. The first roll, 1914 to 1918, was made by Belle Menzies. The second Roll, 1939 to 1945, was made by Earl Irvine.

During the First World War 27 area men enlisted and served with the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force. 26 men returned, with Roland Thomson being the only man in our community who gave his life. The men who served during the First World War from our community are B.A. Allan, George Barker, Charles Fenton, G. Harling, Alex. McRae, Robert McRae, George Menzies, Wm. McDermott, C. McDermott, T. Richardson, Peter Sproute, David Tindall, R.F.C. Thomson (killed inaction),S. Waring, K. Gurney, F.M. Stewart, Geo. McMyn, Beryl Princep, Fred Taylor, Simon Stewart, Henry Sprout, John L. Lynch, H. Summerscales, Charles Cook, and H. Richardson.

During the Second World War, 69 individuals enlisted from our community. Their names are A. Augustine, L. Augustine, J. Austring, R.J. Barnes, L. Bryan, R. Burritt, Grace Canning, E.T. Carson, H. Charnley, R. Charnley, G. Canning, T. Charnley, M. Chefe, E.L. Cook, E. Cusick, W.A. Dibbens, P.W. Doerksen, J. Dolman, J. Grainger, C. Grainger, E. Groome, P. Geity (correct spelling is Gatey, killed in action),D.R. Sharpe, E. Gullickson, W. Hartley, G. Harty, T. Henschel, A. Holland, L. Holland, E. Holmes, A. MacDonald, D. MacDonald, R. MacDonald, H.E. McArthur, C. McCabe, J.E. McCabe, D.W. McDermott, W. McDermott, C.A. McGhee, W.H. McGregor, M.D. McMyn, Janet McTavish, H. Machmer, H.L. Puffer, J. Pastorek (killed in action),G. Robertson, G.W. Robertson, I. Robertson, W.E. Robertson, R. Roy, G. Severinski, R. Roy, C. Severinski, Isobel Sharpe, J. Sharpe, T.L. Sharpe, J. Silverthorne, P. Sluis, S. Southgate, A. Steppler, E.T. Trerise, J. Unrau, C. Unrau, C.M. Wickson, C.W. Wilson, A. Yusko, G. Yusko, D. Zepeski, R. Sharpe (killed in action),D.R. Sharpe, J.W. Sharpe.

Unfortunately, there are a few members who are listed on our cenotaph who are not listed on the Roll of Honour. Their names are W.J. Fernquist, B.E. Norman, R.A.S. Lasser, H. McTavish, H.E. Robinson, and R. Rich.

Veteran Banners

Around Remembrance Day, the City of Pitt Meadows puts up banners around the City of Veterans who served. These banners around the city feature service people from all avenues of the military: the Canadian Army, The Royal Canadian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force. The program started when they were unveiled in 2014 and it was done by the Pitt Meadows Community Foundation. There are two different colour schemes for the banners, colour identifies those still alive and black and white shows those who passed away. As of 2019 there were 20 veterans on the banners.

Those featured on the banners are C. (Charles) B. Armstrong, Robert James (Jimmy) Barnes, Jack Booth, Jim Boyd, Warren Byrnell, Percy Devereaux, Theodore Enge, Harley Edmondson, Frank Granger, Fred Jervis, Claude Parenteau, John Robertson, Wilbert Dewey Rose, Isabel Sharpe, Spenser Skelton, Hilton Smith, Ronald Sharpe, Morse Douglas McMyn, Theodore ‘Ted’ Leland Sharpe, and George James ‘Jackie’ Sharpe.

Pitt Meadows Cenotaph

The National Defense Memorial writes this about the cenotaph: Erected by the District of Pitt Meadows, this memorial is dedicated to the veterans and war dead of Canada’s wars. The Pitt Meadows cenotaph was constructed in 1990 in memory of all those who served and died for us. The late Mr. Walter Laseur (who collected money from dairy farmers for the cenotaph),Sieb Swiestra, and other local members of the Royal Canadian Legion and Municipality came together to design and construct the cenotaph and landscape surrounding it. 1990 was the first Remembrance Day ceremony held in Pitt Meadows. There was a plaque on the original base ‘A Pitt Meadows Foundation Project’ with the 75th (1914-1989) logo as this was made possible through generous individual donations. Another plaque ‘Pitt Meadows Memorial Park, Landscape improvements and walkways possible through the generous donation of the Pitt Meadows Lions Club.” The cenotaph had inscriptions “Lest We Forget” and “We will remember them” on the base and “In memory of all those who have served and died for us”.

In 2008-2009 with Spirit Square improvements the cenotaph was relocated onto a new base on the new plaza and an additional inscription was engraved on the reverse, the act of remembrance “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old, age shall not weary them, not the years condemn, at the going down of the sun, and in the morning: we will remember them”. We also added eight bronze leaves at the time with the names of those soldiers who did not return (the cenotaph original did have leaves adorning it, they were just decorative). In 2011 we added two additional bronze leaves prior to the rededication in July 2011. The two men added in 2011 were Private Peter Gatey of the Westminster Regiment and Sergeant Robert Rich of the South Saskatchewan Regiment who both lost their lives during the Second World War in Europe.

Korean War Memorial

In 2000, there was a shrub, the Rose of Sharon, planted and dedicated to the 516 Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in the Korean War. In 2015, Pitt Meadows added a new commemorative stone by our Cenotaph for those who served in the Korean War (1950-1953). Korean War Veteran Warren Byrnell was at the unveiling along with then mayor John Becker. Warren was dedicated to making sure that there was better support for veterans and those that served their country and was very active in the Korean Veterans Association. Unfortunately, Warren passed away in 2016.

Lest we Forget.

Korean War Memorial Pitt Meadows

Pitt Meadows Cenotaph

Pitt Meadows Honour Roll