A citywide remembrance
Nearly 500 memorial signs are now positioned across Sarnia as part of a project intended to connect local residents with the soldiers who once lived in their neighbourhoods. The Sarnia War Fallen: Where They Called Home initiative, launched in 2024, honours members of the community who died while serving in wartime.
More than 30 volunteers worked on Nov. 1 to distribute and install the signs, according to committee members Doug Woods and Tom St. Amand. The project has a central display at Centennial Park, near the MacPherson Fountain, while additional markers have been placed at locations connected to individual soldiers.
| Display location | Number or detail |
|---|---|
| Centennial Park | 304 signs |
| Former homes | 174 duplicate signs |
| Named streets | 11 signs |
From the park to former homes
St. Amand said the Centennial Park installation includes 304 signs, one for each locally recognized fallen soldier represented there. A further 174 duplicate signs were made for the homes where soldiers once lived. Another 11 markers were assigned to streets, including five roads named for fallen soldiers.
- Eddy Drive
- Berger Road
- Wheatley Drive
- Quinn Drive
- Barclay Drive
The decision to place markers beyond the park gives the commemoration a distinctly local footprint. Rather than limiting the display to one public site, the project identifies connections between the names on the signs and the places associated with their lives. The signs at Centennial Park are arranged to resemble the appearance of a war cemetery, Woods said, creating a setting where visitors can view the collection together.
“We've tried to replicate the signs at Centennial Park as they would be in a war cemetery.”
Information for visitors
Each marker contains a photograph, the soldier’s name, the conflict in which he served and the date of his death. A QR code on each sign directs visitors to a longer biography, allowing people to look beyond the name and learn more about the individual being remembered.
Woods said the project’s organizers were surprised by how well the signs have been maintained since the initiative began. He reported that very few markers require replacement, including those installed at private homes and at the park. The condition of the signs has helped the project continue as a visible feature of the city’s Remembrance observances.
Organizers invite public visits
St. Amand is encouraging residents to spend time at the Centennial Park display and consider the age of many of the soldiers commemorated there. He said most were very young when they made the sacrifice being remembered. For families, residents and visitors, the collection offers a way to encounter those stories in a familiar Sarnia setting rather than only through names in historical records.
The signs are scheduled to remain in place until Nov. 12. Organizers have described the community response as a source of encouragement, citing the assistance of volunteers, the work of AG Sign & Graphics and the willingness of residents to support signs placed at former homes. With the markers spread across the city and the main display gathered at Centennial Park, the project brings together public remembrance and the locations where the fallen once lived.
