Plattsville and District Heritage Society marks Remembrance Week with museum exhibit, poppy displays and veterans’ banners

A portion of the Plattsville and District Heritage Society’s Remembrance exhibit at the Chesterfield Museum and Archive. Photo courtesy of the Plattsville and District Heritage Society

Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

There is plenty of opportunity to honour veterans and those actively serving in the military across Blandford-Blenheim Township this week thanks to the efforts of volunteers with the Plattsville and District Heritage Society.

In addition to the annual Remembrance service hosted at the Chesterfield Museum, Archive and Cenotaph Nov. 9 beginning at 11:30 a.m., the society that operates the museum and archive has curated a museum exhibit aimed at helping locals put the call to military service answered by generations past and present into context.

“This is the first time we’ve opened for Remembrance Week; usually (the museum) is just open the day of our Chesterfield service,” said Plattsville and District Heritage Society president Denise Tew. “But we thought maybe not everyone can make it to that service, and they would like to have a chance to remember.

“We have photos of World War I and World War II veterans, and we have some mannequins dressed up. Tyler Todd, who passed away in Afghanistan (in April 2010); we have his blanket and his picture. … We just have some old clippings people can go through, uniforms to see.”

This year, Tew said the exhibit also features the uniforms of RCMP officer Stewart Shearer, born and raised in Chesterfield, who died last fall.

“His family gave us his uniforms. You’ll see there’s three uniforms on mannequins because we not only want to remember our veterans, but we want to remember the people who keep us safe all year long. Those are our police officers, so it was a real honour to be given those uniforms, and Stewart is actually buried in the Chesterfield Cemetery (next door).”

With plenty of memorabilia and artifacts on display donated by the families of local veterans, the Remembrance Week exhibit at the Chesterfield Museum is open form 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 8 and 15, as well as before and after the Chesterfield Remembrance service.

In addition to the exhibit, the heritage society is also hoping to inspire remembrance through 21 handknitted and crocheted poppy installations that can now be seen across the township.

“We hit all the fire stations and the township office, and the school, the cenotaphs, and libraries,” Tew said. “I would hate to guess how many poppies we have, but it’s in the thousands. We did not count them. I know our friends over in Wellesley counted their poppies, but I got overwhelmed. I can’t count that high, but we had one poppy member who probably made 1,000 poppies herself.”

Similar to poppy installations that have sprung up throughout the region and beyond, these art pieces comprise hundreds of handmade poppies, if not more, that are attached to netting and secured to public bridges, railings, monuments and other places where passersby can see and appreciate them, all in the name of Remembrance.

Those driving around Blanford-Blenheim Township will notice even more veterans’ banners hung from light standards than in years past, all honouring individual veterans who served in past wars. Each banner includes a veteran’s name, their military branch and unit, and years served. In total, there are 91 veterans’ banners on display this year – 32 in Bright and 59 in Plattsville.

“The young people, I don’t think they’re aware the way they need to be aware, and I don’t think (our veterans) are talked about enough,” Tew said. “ … This is a way to start that conversation. … Everywhere you go in Blannford-Blenheim, you’re going to run into a poppy banner or a veteran’s banner.

“ … This is all about reflecting and remembering. I think that’s the most important thing people need to do. … It’s pretty cool to look at those people. They belong to somebody’s family and some didn’t come home. Even the one’s who came home; I don’t know if they got a proper thank-you.”

And as if all of this wasn’t enough, Tew said the heritage society recently donated $1,100 raised from the sale of poppy quilts through a silent auction earlier this year to the New Hamburg Legion Poppy Fund. One of those quilts was given to the society by Donna Moss. It was stitched by Moss’ Great Aunt Fleda in 1962 to commemorate the military service of her son, Howard Cephus Sleep, who served in the air force during the Second World War. He was reported missing in action in March 1943 and never made it home.