A trio of memorial plaques dedicated to dozens of local heroes have found a permanent home in London, Ont., thanks to the efforts of a local resident.
The three plaques feature the names of those from London’s Hamilton Road community who served in the Canadian Armed Forces during the first and second world wars.
They were originally displayed at the Hyatt Avenue United Church on Hamilton Road. When that church closed, the plaques were moved to the Fairmont United Church on Tweedsmuir Avenue.
When Fairmont was set to close permanently as well, that’s when Mike Lee stepped in, a Londoner whose father, uncle, grandfather and great uncle are all listed on the plaques.
Lee reached out to Rev. Jeff Crittenden of the Metropolitan United Church, who’d been holding services at Fairmont prior to its closure, to find out what would happen to the plaques.
“He got back to me and said there were no plans for (the plaques) and that they were stored in the basement. He then told me that I could have them,” Lee said.
“I know, having seen them before, that they were too big for my man cave, so I knew that I had to find a good spot for them somewhere else.”
Lee eventually got in contact with city officials, who offered to have the plaques displayed at the Hamilton Road Seniors Centre and Community Centre.
On Thursday, an official unveiling for the plaques was held, marking a success in Lee’s quest to get them permanently displayed.
“The one thing that I always wanted to do was find somewhere where lots of different people were going to see them,” Lee said.
“There’s kids that use this facility … hopefully they may see a surname they may recognize and ask some questions about them.”
The plaques are on display now in the lobby of the Hamilton Road Seniors Centre and Community Centre at 525 Hamilton Rd. They are also pictured below.