100th anniversary of the Next of Kin memorial in Winnipeg; paying tribute to dead from the First World War

 

(Not a religion story, but a story about sacrifice. In this case, in the First World War.)

Richard Van Neste. William Oliver Dalgleish. David Lawson Walker. Edward George Lowman.

For most people, those names mean nothing. Along with about 1,600 others from Winnipeg who were killed during the First World War, they are listed on the Next of Kin memorial located at the northwest corner of the Legislature grounds, at the intersection of Broadway and Memorial.

But they mean a lot to Darryl Toews, who teaches history at the Morden Collegiate High School.  

“I’m passionate about the history of that war,” said Toews, 53. “What made those men make that ultimate sacrifice? And how can we remember them?”

Since 2014, Toews has made it his mission to learn more about the men listed on that monument.

Read my story about the Next of Kin memorial, including about its creation and unveiling in 1923, in the Winnipeg Free Press.