‘Fallen, but not Forgotten’ Surpasses Fundraising Goal
Manotick, ON —Due to several recent donations, Pierre Poilievre, Member of Parliament for Nepean-Carleton, announced this week that the money raised for the “Fallen, but not forgotten” initiative now exceeds the goal of $3000.
Mike Bennett, Store Manager at the Giant Tiger in Manotick, presented Poilievre with a $1000 contribution to the ‘Fallen but not forgotten fund.’ “Giant Tiger is proud to support community projects like the Fallen but not forgotten initiative,” said Bennett. “As a resident in the area as well, I am glad to know that these forgotten soldiers will now be properly remembered forever.”
“Thanks to Giant Tiger’s donation today, $2000 from Scotiabank, $100 from the Vernon Women’s Institute, $350 from the Metcalfe Lions and an additional $500 from an anonymous donor, we have now raised $3850,” said Poilievre. “This truly shows the commitment that our community has to remembering all of our soldiers who fought for our freedom. It is inspiring that we have been able to raise so much money in such a short time period.” Poilievre explained that any money left over once the project is complete will go towards adding other names of forgotten soldiers as they are discovered as well as beautification of the cenotaph area in Metcalfe.
Rob Brewster, Director from the Osgoode Village Community Association, noted that another $100 has been raised through various donations from community members bringing the total to almost $4000.
Poilievre added, “The donations announced today are dedicated in honour of Private William Edward Murphy, Private E. Thomas Henry Poole and Gunner Arthur Workman.”
Private William Edward Murphy, known to his friends and family as “Eddie Murphy”, grew up in Osgoode and attended the Osgoode Village School until he enlisted on May 15, 1918. Records indicate that Private Murphy died shortly after on November 14th of that year as a result of his involvement with the Canadian Forces.
Private E. Thomas Henry Poole was a farmer who enlisted in the forces on Jun 19, 1916, declaring his place of residence as Vernon. Private Poole left Canada for Europe on June 9, 1917 but was severely wounded a year later with gunshot wounds to the head, back and abdomen. On September 7, 1918, he succumbed to his injuries and was buried in France.
Gunner Arthur Workman was born in Vernon and enlisted on November 19, 1915 from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He set sail for England on March 12, 1916 and was killed in action a year later, likely due to wounds he suffered during the Battle for Vimy Ridge. Gunner Workman was only 21 years old when he died.
The ‘Fallen, but not forgotten fund’ was launched several weeks ago by Pierre Poilievre, MP for Nepean-Carleton, and Rob Brewster, Osgoode Village Community Association Director, and Coreen Atkins-Sheldrick, who discovered that the cenotaph was missing several names of local soldiers who died in WWI and WWII. The money raised, combined with a matching grant application to Veteran’s Affairs Canada (VAC), will ensure that the names of these forgotten soldiers will be added to the current monument. The construction is set to be complete before this Remembrance Day.
Caption: L to R, Coreen Atkins-Sheldrick, Roy Blair, Paul B Allen, Mike Bennett, Joyce LeBeau, Allen Haan, Pierre Poilievre, Joan Barrow, Rob Brewtser