On Friday, the City of Moose Jaw’s Heritage Advisory Committee unveiled the 2024 Veterans Banners that will hang in downtown Moose Jaw this November.
The Veterans Banner Program was launched by the Heritage Advisory Committee last year. It is a way to recognized local community members who have served for Canada and acknowledge the sacrifices that they have made.
“These veterans who served our country represent just a fraction of the thousands who answered the call and left behind the safety of their homes and loved ones, and many of them never to return,” said city council representative on the Heritage Advisory Commitee Crystal Froese.
Twenty-four new banners honouring local veterans will join the banners that were a part of the initial program. The new banners honour the following veterans:
- Matthew Collins
- Adelard Brin
- Alastair James Muir
- Arthur John Ellis
- Harold (SEABEE) Seabrook
- Sir Artur Charles Edward Ramshaw
- Bill Sagal
- Donald N.E. Stockton
- Douglas (Scottie) B. Dunlop
- Douglas Ross Greene
- Eldon Lawrence Babcock
- Francis Eric Sagal
- George Donald Collins
- George M. McGregor
- George Markewich
- Anthony Olden Thomlinson
- James Burleigh Hill
- Lloyd Elmer Erickson
- Reginald Ellis MM
- W. Roy Ellis
- Spiros (Sam) Marinos
- Sidney T Hampson
- Walter Sagal
- William (Bill) Wetaski
The inaugural campaign launched in 2023 with 24 banners that were hung from lamp posts throughout downtown Moose Jaw in November.
“The fact that the community response has been so immediate speaks volumes to the fact that so many of us try to live this statement, Lest We Forget,” Heritage Advisory Committee vice-chair Janie Fries said of the response to the campaign.
The inaugural group of banners included:
- Keith Anderson
- Mansell Clifton Biden
- Hugh Cairns
- Donald Joseph Collins
- Edward James Collins
- Emmett Francis Collins
- Leo High Collins
- David Vivian Currie
- William Harry Fedyk
- Jack E. Harlton
- John Alexander Irwin
- Ralph Alexander Johstone
- John Kinloch
- Arthur George Knight
- Thomas Gowan McKee
- Fred "Pete" McWilliams
- William J. Milne
- Gus Sagal
- Members of the Saskatchewan Dragoons
- Cecil Staples
- Ray Taylor
- A. George Wilson
- David Guy Wilson
- Malcolm "Mac" Wilson
There ceremony on Friday included Mayor Clive Tolley bringing greetings on behalf of the city. He highlighted the importance of the banner program.
“This is a really, really important project for the city. I can see that the families that are here are paying tribute to the ones that have gone before us, and I just think this is a very, very strong effort from the Heritage Advisory Committee,” he said.
Each year, th city accepts applications from individuals, families, organizations, or companies who would like to sponsor a veteran banner. These banners are displayed in downtown Moose Jaw each November for a three-year term. After the term, the banners are turned over to the original purchaser or sponsor.
For more details about the veterans banner program and full profiles of those honour through the program can be found at www.moosejaw.ca/veteranbanners.