(Submitted/Barb Yardy)

By Cam Lee

Veterans memorial

Choiceland was a village without a war memorial, until now

Nov 13, 2024 | 10:53 AM

A group of volunteers has helped honour local veterans in the Choiceland area.

The Choiceland Memorial Project unveiled the newly erected Veterans Memorial at the Choiceland Historical Museum after the Remembrance Day ceremony Nov. 11. A number of dignitaries were on hand for the unveiling, including Prince Albert MP Randy Hoback.

The project was initiated by descendants of Choiceland veterans, Murray Hidlebaugh and Barb Hidlebaugh Yardy. A Veterans Memorial Committee, which included Diana Scott and Margaret McTaggart, was formed with support of the museum.

Barb Yardy told northeastNOW the idea germinated at the funeral of her father, when his service records were discussed. Her father and three brothers all served in World War II, with one of the brothers not making it back.

“Somebody (at the service) said ‘why is Choiceland the only village along here that doesn’t have a war memorial?’”

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That got Yardy thinking, and she contacted Scott and McTaggart to further investigate. Yardy did some research and found 160 veterans in the area, which she said was enough to think about making a memorial. Barb, her brother Murray, Diana and Margaret then formed the ad-hoc committee, and the number of veterans expanded from 160 to 294. The veterans served in the Boer War, the Korean War, the first and second world wars, and peacekeeping missions.

The committee then commissioned a black rectangular pillar to serve as the memorial, with each veteran’s name inscribed on the pillar. The memorial cost $15,000 and they were able to raise funds locally, with the Veterans Association of Canada matching the amount via grant.

Barb said the veterans all grew up and were part of the Choiceland area, with many of them helping to build the community into what it has become today.

“Some of these people I didn’t even know had been in the services. They just didn’t talk about it – I guess they couldn’t talk about it,” said Barb. She added many just wanted to get married and have a family upon their return and not talk about the horrors they saw in battle.

Barb said they put the Veterans Memorial at the museum grounds to honour their sacrifice in both the military and in the community.

“Every name had a story,” said Barb. “Some of them were funny stories, some of them were tragic, but all of them were human.”

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Cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @northeastNOW_SK