Sixty seven crosses representing Oceanside area veterans killed at war are established off Memorial Ave. at the eastern edge of downtown Qualicum Beach. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Field of Crosses

‘We owe them so much:’ fallen Parksville-Qualicum war heroes remembered in Field of Crosses

Nov 3, 2022 | 4:21 PM

QUALICUM BEACH — A neatly aligned row of crosses on the edge of downtown Qualicum Beach serves a strong visual reminder of the sacrifices local veterans made.

Sixty-seven white crosses represent deceased military members who perished while serving oversees, with the vast majority losing their lives in the first and second World Wars, according to Kim Dorcas with Rotary Club of Qualicum Beach.

Dorcas said it’s critical to remind people of the price that was paid to establish our way of life.

“I think that some of the younger generations don’t really know, they don’t have the grandparents anymore that explains and tells them all about the importance of world war one and world war two and how it gave them the freedoms that we have today.”

The field is located at green space on Memorial Ave. near Harlech Rd.

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The third annual event in conjunction with Royal Canadian Legion branch no. 76 in Qualicum Beach involves marked crosses with the name, rank, regiment and date of death.

A poppy and small Canadian flag are attached to each cross.

One cross stands apart from the others, belonging to an unknown soldier who has been unable to be identified through local Cenotaph and military records.

The Field of Crosses display in Qualicum Beach will be removed on Saturday, Nov. 12., including the unknown solider (far right). (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Dorcas said the Field of Crosses has been well received in the previous two years it has been established, noting the numerous visitors include organized functions such as field trips among local schools.

The high-profile, visibly prolific location helps spread awareness, Dorcas noted.

“It’s close to town, there’s a lot of action around here so people can see it, come and visit, walk through the crosses and see the names and maybe there’s a relative that they can see.”

Dorcas brought the Field of Crosses idea to Qualicum Beach from her former hometown of Kelowna, where 250 crosses are on display.

She noted about 3,500 crosses are established annually in Calgary, AB where the idea originated from.

Legion branch 76 president Ben Villeneuve was pleased to see a turnout of about 75 people for the reintroduction of the Field of Crosses in Qualicum Beach.

“The first year there wasn’t very many people here and I now look around to see the amount of people that are coming to watch, it’s outstanding. It’s a good job by the Rotary and we support it 100 per cent.”

Velleneuve said a dozen of the soldiers in the Field of Crosses are local to Qualicum Beach, while the majority are from Parksville and a few others from surrounding rural communities in Oceanside.

He expanded on the importance of finding creative ways to make younger people aware of the importance of remembering our veterans.

“We are free from a lot of things that some people don’t have and it’s all because of our veterans and military from years gone by, we owe them so much.”

Legion’s in Qualicum Beach, Parksville and Bowser are all hosting Remembrance Day events on Friday, Nov 11.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes