Burnaby South High School World War II Memorial, British Columbia, Canada

This post is a response to the new Weekly Genea-Blogger Prompt. This week's was 'Take a genealogy day trip and blog about it.'

For some time, I've been meaning to travel away across the city I live in to take new photographs of this Burnaby South High School War Memorial on Southoaks Crescent, just off Sperling and Kingsway, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

On Thursday, I had an good opportunity to do this. The last time I was on this street it was really winter. Then I had to brush the snow and ice off with my mittened hands to read the names inscribed. This week, although it was misty and cold, there was little snow left around. As you can see, several apartment towers now dwarf the park, but many people live and walk in this area or come by when visiting the National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre which is in the same block.

The photographs above and below show the Burnaby South High School Cenotaph and the three Memorial Tennis Courts honouring 51 of the High School's students who died in service during World War II. Dedicated on November 10, 1948 by South Burnaby Royal Canadian Legion Post 83 and Burnaby South high school students, the memorial was the site of Remembrance Day ceremonies for the school until it closed in 1993.

At that time, the City of Burnaby designated this area Burnaby South Memorial Park. The 1914 building to the east is known today as the Alan Emmott Centre, but was originally Kingsway East (elementary) School. From 1922, this building was Burnaby South High School's manual training building. In 2002, it was re-purposed as a community centre and is the home of Burnaby's Community-Centred College for the Retired.

In 2004, the Burnaby South memorial courts and cenotaph were re-dedicated by Burnaby South Secondary School and the South Burnaby Royal Canadian Legion Post 83.

The surnames on the cenotaph are:

BARKER
BORRETT
BRADSHAW
BROOKMAN
BUCKINGHAM
BRYANT
CAMPBELL
CLAY
COSH
CULLEN
CUSTANCE
DOLTER
FERNQUIST
FISHER
FITZGERALD
FREBERG
FREEMAN
GREENWOOD
HALLDING
HARDY
IRVING
LINDEMERE
MCCOMBIE
MCINTOSH
MCKERCHER
MCLACHLAN
MCWILLIAMS
MANSON
MIDDLETON
NESBITT
NORRIS
NORTHEY
O’CONNOR
OWEN
PEARDON
POWER
QUINN
RIDGEWAY
SHERRY
SMITH
SMITH
SPACKMAN
STOCKEN
THOMAS
THOMAS
THOMAS
WALKINSHAW
WESTLEY
WHITTAKER
WILSON
WILSON

For more information on any of these, see first the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) website for unit information, place of burial, and other details, usually including next of kin: http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp?menuid=14

Library and Archives Canada now has an index on-line to identify the files held for Canadian World War II dead. Copies of these files can be ordered or you must pre-order to see the files yourself in Ottawa at the Archives: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/war-dead/index-e.html

Burnaby Remembers. The City of Burnaby has sponsored several projects to identify and honour the city's war dead, including those who died in World War II: http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca/residents/about/hstryh/brnby_rmmbrs.html

See also "Burnaby South High School Students, 1930’s and World War II" by Eunice Robinson, The British Columbia Genealogist, December 2005 Volume 34 #4, p. 178