A project to recognize previously unlisted fallen soldiers from the Belleville area on the city’s Cenotaph Memorial has made one big step forward.
Belleville Council approved submitting a $10,000 application to the Commemorative Partnership Program through Veterans Affairs Canada at a meeting on Monday.
The horseshoe also approved a recommendation amending the capital budget in the amount of $35,000 for the application.
That funding would be split three ways, $15,000 from the Asset Management Reserve Fund and $10,000 each from the MAT Reserve Fund and Community War Memorials Fund.
A staff report from Director of Transportation and Operations Joe Reid noted this initiative was suggested by a pair of local men, Dr. Don Brearley and the late Mr. Don Kellaway, who completed significant research into Unlisted Fallen Soldiers on the Cenotaph Memorial.
They submitted 23 names from World War I and seven from World War II, which were agreed upon by the Belleville Veterans Council.
The Belleville Cenotaph, located in Memorial Park on Cannifton Road, was originally unveiled in 1932 to honour the men of Belleville who lost their lives in the First World War.
Over time, the site evolved to include the names of Belleville’s fallen from the Second World War, as well as a plaque dedicated to those who served in the Korean War.
In the early 2000s, the City of Belleville and the Belleville Veterans Council undertook a significant redevelopment, which included the construction of a new cenotaph monument, the addition of multiple engraved granite panels representing different wars and the relocation of the Thurlow War Memorial following municipal amalgamation.
All fallen soldiers are from the Belleville and previous Thurlow Township areas.
