We have received tremendous help from many in our area.  This project was rather expensive to start as the initial cost of a steel cross and flag ran about $25.00. This would have been a prohibitive cost and might have stopped the project, but Mr. Wes Hann  of the Corner Brook Foundry stepped in to lend a hand a provided us steel croses as a very reasonable rate,

Assistance also came from the College of the North Atlantic and some private donations from deceased veterans families. All this, along with a great voluntary effort by our local Peacekeepers, we got ther project off the ground.

 

The Legions in Western Newfoundland have been a great help, but the Legions in Corner Brook, Deer Lake and Pasadena have taken extra steps in their assistance.  

Branch 13 in Corner Brook has allowed us to piggyback on their website with our electronic record, which has been a big success.  

Branch 68 in Pasadena has held ceremonies with the crosses and flags and invited us to their celebration.

Nevertheless, it is Branch 3 in Deer Lake which has taken this remembrance project to heart.  Mike Green and his crew have organized ceremonies with great class and dignity, and very well run both in Deer Lake and Jacksons Arm. Comrade Green's professional approach and his groups dedication have done much to help the program mature and evolve.

About a year into the project we discovered that our steel crosses were rusting, especially those close to the ocean. Due to our geography many of our cemeteries are near the water.  After experimenting with different paints we decided to try aluminum.   

This raised another issue, regarding the welding of aluminum which became problematic for us. Raymond Bennett, a retired welding instructor in Corner Brook, volunteered to experiment and develop the aluminum crosses.   This required constant changes and modifications in the first productions.    He persevered and to this date (June 2010) has completed over 100 crosses.

Ray’s contribution to this cause is commendable.   

Our web base of veterans graves now contains over 800 names and Gus Cossett gave us the initial 400 names with dates of death and where they were buried.  We owe him a debt of gratitude for giving us this information and such a good head start on our web site.

We now rely on families and friends of deceased veterans, and our own researchers, to inform us of the veterans' places of burial and some details of their military service and family life.

Check out our online gravesite data base at the following address:

http://www.legioncornerbrook.ca/vets_database.htm

 

 

 

 

Special recognition and a vote of thanks also goes to Dorothy Childs, who maintains the Project's accounts and compiles the gravesite data base.

 

 

 

We started the project with the idea that families must get involved to make this a success.  This has happened and we have met many wonderful dedicated people in our quest. It is their interest that gives us the energy to carry on.  As remembrance is the main aim and goal of the  project, these families have picked up the torch and we hope they will always hold it high.