Tiles bearing the names and service dates of armed forces and RCMP members were mortared in place at Nanaimo’s military museum this week.
The work is part of an ongoing fundraising project for the museum, which kicked off in December, to create the Vancouver Island Military Museum Veterans Wall of Honour.
The first phase of the project was completed Tuesday and Wednesday when 132 granite plaques were installed on the front of the Centennial Museum building. Each plaque honours a local veteran.
Brian McFadden, museum vice-president, said response from the public has been strong and about 30 per cent of the plaques for the project’s second phase have already been sold.
“We had people who came in and picked up applications months ago and then all of a sudden people started calling us saying they’ve got all their information together,” McFadden said.
People can pick up applications at the museum, located on Cameron Road in downtown Nanaimo. Once information about the veteran to be honoured is compiled, the applicant can pay $195 to have the veteran’s name, military service branch, crest and service dates installed on the Veterans Wall of Honour.
The wall is open to any military or RCMP veteran from any allied service branch who served during war or peace.
McFadden said museum staff hope to have the wall completed with 264 tiles installed by Remembrance Day (Nov. 11).
For more information, please visit www.vimms.ca or call 250-753-3814.