A replica war cemetery, featuring 80 signs, will be displayed at Centennial Park as part of the 'Sarnia War Remembrance Sign Project' this November.
Another 170 will be placed in front of the homes in Sarnia and Point Edward where the fallen soldiers once lived.
The signs include a painted image of the "Tommy" soldier that stands atop the Sarnia Cenotaph at Veterans Park. It also includes the name of the soldier, the war in which he served, address, where he is buried, and a QR code that links to an online biography.
Volunteers will be placing them in Sarnia and Point Edward on November 1, and they will be up until November 12, coinciding with the poppy campaign.
Tom Slater, Doug Woods, and Tom St. Amand created the project, based on signs that Woods' son saw while in Toronto.
Slater is hopeful community interest will be sparked, noting everyone they've spoken with is on board.
"We want people to remember these guys, and their families, because many of their family members are still here," said Slater. "They sacrificed as well, they lost a loved one. So, hopefully those people will be remembered."
Slater hopes teachers and students will latch onto the project.
"What better way to teach students about Remembrance Day and sacrifice than to talk about a kid that went to this local high school and worked at the local shop down the street and played on the local football team at high school?," he said. "He's 18 and decides to go to war and left everything, never to come back home. We're hoping that grabs young people as well as the older folks."
The memorial at Centennial Park will be located near the McPherson Fountain.
"It's on a berm, a little hill," said Slater. "So many of these soldiers died advancing up a hill or at the top of a hill, defending it against enemies. We thought a hill was very representative of what they went through. We're going to arrange the signs in a straight line, an equal distance apart so it's going to replicate a war cemetery. We're hoping to leave space where people can walk through, just like they're walking through a war cemetery, and see the names. If someone captures your interest, scan the QR code and their bio comes up."
Woods said they're planning to put up the signs on a yearly basis.
"I'm envisioning that word gets around and people from other communities like London will come down to see the replicated memorial at Centennial Park, and maybe wander through parts of the city to see the houses that the fallen soldiers lived in," said Woods. "We're all well aware of the conflicts that are going on in the world right now that we as a society need to try and prevent. I think showing the sacrifices that we gave those years ago, in the first and second world wars, will help us understand that prevention needs to be done."
St. Amand said they're just scratching the surface.
"If you had a sign for every soldier who served from Sarnia and came home, we'd need 4,000 signs," said St. Amand. "But, we just want to honour them and their families by putting a face to a name and a house to a name as well."
The details were provided during a media conference Tuesday.
Supporters, including the City of Sarnia, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 62, Tourism Sarnia-Lambton, donors and volunteers were thanked.
They were able to generate nearly $10,000 through fundraising.
You can learn more about the project, and view an interactive map of the signs, by visiting www.sarniaswarfallenwheretheycalledhome.ca.
