New park features pay tribute to veterans

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This article was published 03/07/2018 (2939 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

History is being kept alive through new memorial features that will soon be added at Kapyong Park. 

The improvement project will honour the 700 soldiers of the Second Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2PPCLI) who fought in the Battle of Kapyong in the Korean War. The battle lasted from April 22 to 25, 1951, and the 2PPCLI soldiers were outnumbered seven to one.

In the end, the Battle of Kapyong proved to be a pivotal moment since the Canadian soldiers staved off the North Korean and Chinese forces, which withdrew on April 25, 1951.

Scott Gillingham, councillor for St. James- Brooklands-Weston, attended the ground-breaking event took place at the park on Sat., June 23. His involvement began two years ago with an initiative to provide a historical name for the space.

“I had wanted to rename the park because the Kapyong Barracks on Route 90 were deserted in 2004 when 2PPCLI moved to Shilo,” said 

“I wanted to make sure that we retained the Kapyong name somewhere so that we can continue to tell the story of the heroic actions of the soldiers of 2PPCLI in the Battle of Kapyong. My councillor colleagues supported me in the renaming of the park in 2016.”

After that, Gillingham began brainstorming with the City’s parks department to generate ideas to renovate the green space. 

Urban designer Ian Legge came up with a vision depicting the seven-to-one ratio that the 2PPCLI soldiers faced in the battle.

“When you enter the space, there will be 10 upright granite boulders in honour of the 10 Canadian soldiers who died in that battle. Then across from them, there will be 70 blocks representing the 5,000 Communist forces. So there’s 10 to 70 across from one another, representing the seven-to-one odds,” Gillingham explained.

“The park really honours the heroic actions of the service men of 2PPCLI in that battle. The park is dedicated to those who sacrificed so much in the name of freedom and democracy.”

The project will also feature the installation of decorative wood fencing, a paving stone plaza, rubberized surfacing, benches and three new flagpoles that will fly flags from Canada, South Korea and the PPCLI.

In addition, the park will provide a meaningful space to honour the three surviving veterans of the Kapyong Battle living in Manitoba: Ron Shephard, Doug Jones and Michael Czuboka.

“What’s most important is that we continue to honour the sacrifice, commitment and service of the men who fought in the Battle of Kapyong,” Gillingham said. 

“There are Manitobans who are still with us as veterans of that battle, and it’s important to get this park established in their lifetime. That’s really my goal.”

Construction is expected to begin in August and wrap up by mid-October.