Latest Updates from The National Wall of Remembrance
NWORA would like to take this opportunity to update you with our memorial project and secondary objectives.
As you may be aware, our memorial project was unanimously approved by Kingston City Council on 9 July 2019 after the Mayor, Bryan Paterson, made a motion to support this project.
Since then, through consultation with the Kingston City Staff, we’ve had numerous outstanding meetings (most were through Zoom).
Obviously, during the COVID saga things slowed down, but still progressing in a very positive manner.
In 2020, we also took the initiative to launch two new programmes, the Community Memorials Programme and Education Outreach Programme. The first is to provide funding to a maximum of $5K to any community in Canada that needs help for repairing/renovating a military monument to their fallen, or even build a new one. So far, we have helped about 10 communities, and we are still receiving additional applications. Our primary contact point for this programme is mainly through the Royal Canadian Legions across the country.
For the Education Outreach Programme, our approach is to reach out to schools in communities where funding is provided by NWORA for the refurbishing of their monuments. Schools are given an initial package to work from (this package is put together through a partnership with Big Ideas Group Consulting Inc.) so they can do research on the fallen and come up with stories, pictures, anecdotes, etc. We are anticipating that school boards will be really eager to participate in this endeavour. We are looking to potentially tie some of this research into helping to update CanadianFallen.ca .
As far as our memorial project is concerned, we have moved leaps and bounds primarily through the hiring of a professional architect (Jennifer Demitor) who is fully engaged and absolutely thrilled with this project, and is well respected by the city staff.
Working with City Hall, we have received the ok for a location which is absolutely prominent and historical from a military perspective. This site is the Sir John A. Macdonald Park, on Lake Ontario waterfront, across from KGH Hospital, where the Murney Tower and Museum are located, as well as the City Memorial for Remembrance Day ceremonies. We could not have asked for a better location, especially that the city has a Waterfront Master Plan that will rejuvenate this entire area with new sidewalks and paths, resting areas, etc. We already presented our proposal to the Heritage Committee, a potential stumbling point, and it was very well received by them as well.
Our Image Committee is working hard with developing the right images/montages in concert with a variety of experts to include representation by the City of Kingston staff.
In 2021, NWORA made the decision that our memorial would also include those fallen before Confederation, including an important piece about the aboriginal contributions to founding our country, and we’re receiving a lot of support for this.
With the help of our architect, we presented our Project Report to one of the Directors for the City of Kingston who has the lead for this project. She’s extremely pleased with the Project Report and has passed it on to various city staff for review. In a month or so, an Implementation Plan will be put together by City Staff to be presented to City Council for approval later on this summer. Once approval given, we can then proceed with the first shovel in the ground and moving ahead with the construction. Our current timeline has the project done by Remembrance Day 2023.
Earlier this year, NWORA made the decision to no longer have an Advisory Board, as its role has greatly diminished over the years. Instead, we created the ‘Friends of NWORA’, which includes all former members of the Advisory Board. We also felt it would be a great idea to have a Patron(s); the Honorable Peter Milliken, former speaker of the House of Commons, has accepted this role with a lot of enthusiasm, and we are awaiting a reply from another highly prominent Canadian as a second Patron.
We also officially received charity status from CRA in Nov 2021, so we are investigating how to make use of this potential revenue income.
Please do not hesitate to contact NWORA or iMedia Northside Inc. for queries and/or additional details.
Special Announcement
The National Wall of Remembrance Association is pleased to announce that, on 9 July 2019, Kingston City Council voted unanimously in favour of the motion to enable the construction of the National Wall of Remembrance monument in a suitable location in downtown Kingston.
New motion 2 states staff be directed to work with the National Wall of Remembrance Association to develop a plan for implementation the National Wall of Remembrance Project and report back at an appropriate time with detailed plans and budgeting for the commemoration. #ygkc
— Kingston Meetings (@kingstonmeeting) July 10, 2019
THE PROJECT
This project will create a single place of remembrance for all our fallen heroes - a place that families, friends and the general public can visit and remember. It will incorporate the names of the Canadian fallen in all conflicts of record.
THE PHYSICAL MONUMENT
The monument will be comprised of granite towers depicting the conflicts and peace-keeping missions that our Canadian Soldiers have sacrificed their lives in to solidify our Nation. It will be located in downtown Kingston, Ontario.
THE VIRTUAL COMPONENT
The Canadian Fallen is the Virtual Component of the National Wall of Remembrance. It is a tribute to the over 118,000 men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country in times of war and peacekeeping.
A Message from the Chairman
More than 118,000 Canadian men and women serving in the Canadian and Allied armed forces have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that future generations of Canadians live in a free and democratic country. These courageous individuals are buried in cemeteries in Canada, Europe, Russia, South Africa, North Africa, India, Burma, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. Many have no marked grave, and many were lost at sea.
Our mission is to provide one place of Remembrance, both physical and virtual, as an enduring tribute to these brave souls.
Together, with your support, we will erect a permanent monument to the Fallen in the city of Kingston, Ontario, birthplace of much of Canada’s military history. The virtual component is already alive at www.canadianfallen.ca. We encourage you to visit the site and search for relatives, submit photos and documents relevant to a profile or read in Remembrance Magazine about major conflicts Canadians have been engaged in.
Our secondary objective, after the monument is erected, will be to ensure the long-term sustainability of both the monument and the virtual space. As an Association aligned with the Canadian Armed Forces, we will also be supporting organizations whose mission is to assist veterans and their families.
Together we can get this done.
Sincerely,
Call for Submissions
The Canadian Fallen website is the virtual component of the National Wall of Remembrance. It contains the names and military information of over 118,000 soldiers killed in the line of duty, throughout the history of Canada, at war and peace. We are working diligently to create a story for each of our fallen heroes and give them the recognition they truly deserve.
The National Wall of Remembrance Association is currently seeking public submissions to help us tell these stories. Please submit photos, documents, letters home, stories or any information you have on any of our fallen heroes.
Please take the time to visit The Canadian Fallen website at www.canadianfallen.ca
You can also contact the association directly through email at info@worassociation.ca
Thank you!
Squadron Leader Pilot
IAN WILLOUGHBY (I W) BAZALGETTE
Date of Death: 4 August 1944
Age: 25 years
Call for Submissions to www.canadianfallen.ca
The Canadian Fallen website is the virtual component of the National Wall of Remembrance. It contains the names and military information of over 118,000 soldiers killed in the line of duty, throughout the history of Canada, at war and peace. We are working diligently to create a story for each of our fallen heroes and give them the recognition they truly deserve.
The National Wall of Remembrance Association is currently seeking public submissions to help us tell these stories. Please submit photos, documents, letters home, stories or any information you have on any of our fallen heroes.
Please take the time to visit The Canadian Fallen website at www.canadianfallen.ca
Thank you!
BECOME A CORPORATE SPONSOR
Sponsorship to the NWORA Has Its Benefits
As well as advertising space available in our magazine “Remembrance” you can also be a part of the National Wall of Remembrance Project through Corporate Sponsorship. There are many levels of sponsorship available. We would be pleased to discuss these with you.
ABOUT NWORA
Remembering Those Who Sacrificed
Although most of our dead are buried abroad, this project will bring our fallen home. This is not a war memorial – it will not take the place of local cenotaphs or memorials that already exist. It is a tribute to the many men and women who gave their lives for our freedom.
EXECUTIVE / ADVISORY BOARDS
Working Together for a Common Goal
The Association has formed an advisory board to ensure our success. They come from various areas of expertise and will work with an organization that has a proven track record in raising funds for successful National Memorials.