VIU and Community Partners Remember Local Fallen Soldiers through Video Memorial

VIU video project acknowledges Nanaimo soldiers’ contributions to the First and Second World Wars.

A video memorial project that aims to tell a piece of the story of the lives of the Nanaimo soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the First and Second World Wars will be displayed across the city November 1 -11, 2021.

For the 11 days leading up to Remembrance Day, the Nanaimo Remembers project will display the names of more than 200 soldiers in prominent locations across the city. The names have been obtained from the Dallas Square Cenotaph in downtown Nanaimo and a special section highlights the contributions of local Indigenous soldiers, thanks to research conducted by Vancouver Island University (VIU) Elder-in-Residence Geraldine Manson.

The project, which launched in 2018, was spearheaded by VIU’s Communications and External Affairs and Brand and Marketing teams in collaboration with the University’s Canadian Letters and Images Project (CLIP) and Nanaimo Community Archives. Nanaimo Remembers grew out of a desire to localize a project VIU participated in for many years – The World Remembers, a display tribute to soldiers across the world who lost their lives in the Great War.

“The names in this project are all connected to Nanaimo in some manner, and deserve to be remembered by the community,” says Dr. Stephen Davies, Director of the Canadian Letters and Images Project. “Working with community partners and organizations, VIU is able to ensure that these individuals become more than merely names on the cenotaph.”

Information shared about each soldier, where available, includes their name, rank and battalion, when they died and at what age, where they were buried, their occupation, and their connection to Nanaimo.

The video presentation will run continuously from November 1 – 11, 2020, on the large screen in the Welcome Centre (Building 300 at VIU’s Nanaimo campus). It will also be played on screens at several locations in the community on varying dates: 

• Through the Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools’ website, social media accounts and at participating schools;
• At the Harbourfront and Nanaimo North locations of the Vancouver Island Regional Library;
• At the Nanaimo Museum; and
• At the Port Theatre.

Check out the project at one of the participating locations above or visit VIU’s YouTube channel.

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Media Contact:

Jenn McGarrigle, External Communications Advisor, Vancouver Island University

C: 250.619.6860 | E: Jenn.McGarrigle@viu.ca | T: @VIUNews