Doreen Jones is hoping to preserve her family’s history with the donation of war memorabilia to the Hope Legion.
Herbert, Harold, Wilfred and Jim Wells enlisted in the army at the same during the Second World War.
Harold was a lance corporal with the military police and Wilfred was a private in the 14th Field Ambulance Service. Herbert served as a sergeant running the motor pool at the Canadian Forces base in Shiloh, Manitoba and Jim was killed in action on Feb. 26, 1945, while serving with the 6th Amoured Regiment of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. He is buried in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Jones and her siblings Sheila Hildebrand, Irene Wells and Ian Wells have donated the Statements of Service for the Wells’ brothers, their service medals, decorator plates, a newspaper article regarding memorials for servicemen who did not return home, a copy of page 575 from the Book of Remembrance of the Second World War which is displayed in the Parliament of Canada chapel in Ottawa, and a copy of a letter on behalf of the Speaker of the House of Commons.
“We just didn’t want this stuff going in the garbage and felt the Legion in Hope would be the best place,” said Jones. “The young people today think they have it tough, but they don’t know and they don’t seem to be interested in what their forefathers went through and how many people died to be able to give us what we have today.”
The Hope Remembrance Day service takes place this Sunday (Nov. 11) in Memorial Park. The parade leaves the Legion at 10:40 a.m. on route to the cenotaph. Walter Pankew will MC the service, which includes two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. followed by lament. The Hope Secondary School band will then perform during the wreath laying. Residents are invited back to the Legion for lunch and refreshments following the service.