Remembering Transcona’s fallen soldiers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/11/2021 (1557 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new memorial to fallen soldiers was unveiled recently in Transcona Cemetery.

Two new plaques stand sentinel in the cemetery’s Field of Honour, which list the 123 soldiers from Transcona who died in the First and Second World Wars. Those soldiers are buried in cemeteries across Europe, except for nine whose bodies were never identified. 

The project was spearheaded by Peter Martin and Lawrence Toet, both of whom were committed to honouring those fallen soldiers in such a manner that the community could engage and learn about those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“It’s history,” Toet, former MP for Elmwood-Transcona, told The Herald. “We can’t forget. Playing a small part in keeping that alive is awesome. It’s a heartwarming feeling that’s hard to explain. But it feels good.”

“If you’re passionate about an idea, you have to do it yourself,” Martin added. “We were passionate about this project, and we didn’t want to wait for the government or whoever to do it. It needed to be done.”

In July 2019, Martin represented Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario Legions on a Pilgrimage of Remembrance through the battlefields and cemeteries where Canadian soldiers are buried in Europe. After visiting the headstone of Transcona’s Roger Firman, who was executed as a prisoner of war after he was captured on D-Day, Martin got to thinking. 

“It really hit me that I was able to honour this fallen soldier by standing in front of his gravestone,” he said. “I wondered if any of his family were ever able to do that?”

While Transcona’s cenotaph includes the names of the fallen, there was no memorial for them at the cemetery’s Field of Honour. Upon his return, Martin got in touch with Toet, to discuss ways they could honour those from the community who never made it home from war. 

For Toet, the project is also a personal one.

“When Peter approached me about this project, it was absolutely important to me,” Toet said. “It’s my family’s history. My parents and their whole families were liberated by Canadian forces that liberated the Netherlands. Would I be here today if it wasn’t for the efforts of Canadian soldiers?”

The pair worked closely with the Winnipeg Cemetery management’s Brett Shenback and Janzen O’Donnell to come up with an appropriate memorial. 

“(They) mentioned that they would like to construct a small bridge over the ditch, connecting the current Field of Honour with the expansion area,” Martin said. “We thought that perhaps honouring our fallen soldiers near that bridge would be a good place.”

The final result comes from real community buy-in, Martin and Toet agreed. 

“Peter and I may have spearheaded it, but there were a pile of people who jumped on board,” Toet said. “We needed a few dollars, and community members stepped up. This is a community project.”

Transcona Legion President Dave Roy applied for and was approved for a grant from Princess Auto, who built and paid for the Bridge of Remembrance for Transcona’s Fallen Soldiers. Brett Enns of Transcona built the railing. Transcona Museum and Transcona BIZ donated the stands that the plaques stand on, while Phase 2 Autobody worked with WISH cleaned up the bases and powdered coated them. Q-Power Communications designed the plaques, while Ambassador Laser in Winkler provided the finished product. 

Now that the memorial is up, Toet and Martin hope it will be a place for community reflection for years to come.

“We just want people to get out here and read,” Martin said. “We want the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the ancestors of these people, to come and see them honoured.”

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112

   Read full biography