Signs of remembrance appear across Paris as Homes of Heroes campaign begins

Left to right: Lidia Kitchen, Vickey Patel, Kelly Baker, Jason Hotte, Sweety Ahlawat, Amanda Mason and Kara Thomas take part in the unveiling of the first Homes of Heroes sign in Paris — a community initiative recognizing the homes of local veterans past and present.

Neil Edwards

Paris Independent Contributor

The goal of Homes of Heroes is to place a sign in front of every home in Paris where veterans lived when they enlisted or where they are living now. 

So, the Homes of Heroes committee is very proud that Jason Hotte agreed to place the first sign in our campaign to honour our Paris veterans. Jason is a resident of Sensity and known among all the staff for his enthusiasm for history. He has a special interest in learning about veterans and the impact of their service. 

Why would we be placing a sign in front of the Sensity residence at the corner of Washington and Dundas Streets? Because several homes formerly at that location had been torn down to make way for the construction of Sacred Heart Catholic School and it is now the current location of Sensity. One of those houses, the former 33 Dundas Street, was the home of William Pamplin when he enlisted in the Second World War.  He joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and cared for wounded soldiers in France, Holland and Germany over three years. Tragically, he never made it home himself. He was taken ill aboard a ship returning to Canada with wounded soldiers. He died shortly after landing in Canada. 

Taking part in the Homes of Heroes initiative is especially meaningful to Jason, as it allowed him to be part of a community effort to remember and honour our veterans. And you can play your part too. This week, you may see signs popping up in front of homes throughout Paris, acknowledging the service of the veterans who formerly lived there or are living now. Maybe you learned a bit about these veterans in the articles printed in the Paris Independent over the last few months. 

If you missed an article or are curious about the men and women who served in the military and who are connected to those homes with signs, visit our site HomesOfHeroes.ca or use the QR code on the signs to learn more. On our Veterans page you'll find a map showing the homes of Paris veterans, or below the map you can see and explore the individual names of the veterans. You will notice that there is much more detail about some veterans than others. We will continue to try to complete their stories, so if you have information about any of these men and women, or of other veterans we have not included yet, please email us at info@homesofheroes.ca.

The signs will remain on lawns until after November 11, Remembrance Day. But the work of Homes of Heroes will continue. We will try to uncover more information about Second World War veterans while we look back further in time, to the First World War and beyond. But just as importantly, we want to acknowledge the contributions of veterans who have served more recently, including those who are in the military now. If you are a veteran or know of a veteran, please contact us. You can help to share their stories.