City of Brantford issues call for missing WW II names from Brant War Memorial

The City of Brantford has called on members of the public to put forward the names of local Second World War casualties who are missing from the Brant War Memorial.

The city is working with the Canadian Military Heritage Museum to review and compile the missing names with the goal of installing an additional component to the war memorial next year.

Located at 6 Dalhousie St. in Brantford, the Brant War Memorialwas designed by Walter S.Allward and constructed in 1933inmemory of the local war dead from the First World War.

The names of service personnel who are missing from the Brant War Memorial,lost their lives in military service during the Second World War (1939-1945), and resided in Brantford, County of Brant, or Six Nations of the Grand Rivercan be put forward, the city says.

Adrienne Briggs, arts and culture co-ordinator for the city, saidthat following consultations with the Great War Centenary Association, Six Nations Veterans Organization, and the Canadian Military Heritage Museum, it was decided that a community consultation would be the most effective way to identify the missing names due to the complex nature of determining who qualifies as local.

"For example, if an individual was born and raised in Brantford but lived elsewhere during the war, their next of kin would have had to self-report their name during the creation of the War Memorial in order for them to be included," Briggs said.

"We are hopeful that this community consultation will help us fill any gaps and properly honour our fallen service personnel."

According to the city, these individuals could have served for the Canadian army, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, Royal Canadian Air Force Medical Branchor the Royal Canadian Naval Medical Service.

Those interested in putting forward a missing name can complete this online form.

The city will also host two in-person sessions at the Canadian Military Heritage Museum, 347 Greenwich St., where the public can submit missing names and associated documentation on Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. or on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The list of namescurrently inscribed on the Brant War Memorial can be viewed on the government of Canada's database of Military Memorials in Canada.