Vernon Ramesar · CBC News · Posted: Nov 11, 2025 6:00 AM AST Nova Scotia volunteer group honours fallen soldiers by telling their stories The Wartime Heritage Association started as high school project in Yarmouth in 1992 Canadian soldiers enjoy a few drinks on Christmas Day at the front in Ortona, Italy, on Christmas Day in 1943. (Wartime Heritage Association/Lieut. Frederick G. Whitcombe / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-163936) A small volunteer association formed over three decades ago in Yarmouth, N.S., is working to ensure that the stories of the province's war dead are not forgotten. Glen Gaudet, the vice-chairman of the Wartime Heritage Association, says the work has been deeply personal. "Remembrance Day for us is every day," he says. "We're trying to get these stories out — to share them online, through social media, and on our website. It shouldn't just be a list of names. Every one of those names has a story, a family they left behind, a career before they enlisted." A webpage tells the story of Phillip Blanchard who was killed in action in Italy in 1944. (Wartime Heritage Association) Gaudet recalls that one of the stories that was used in a production and became the first one posted on their website was of Phillip Blanchard from Spring Haven, N.S., who served in the West Nova Scotia Regiment in the Second World War. Blanchard wrote a letter to his young godson in late 1943 telling him to be good and to take care of his health so he would be big and strong when he returned home. Blanchard was killed in action on May 24, 1944, in Italy at the age of 23. Hello Herbert, I was very happy to get a letter from you. But I was sorry to hear that you had been sick. Take good care of yourself Herbert and try not to get sick any more. Cause when I'll go back home after the war. I want you to be big and strong. So don't forget to be a good boy and help your mama all you can.... From Phillip. - Wartime Heritage Association The group came together in 1992 as a high school theatre project known as 440 Productions, named after the code for an English course. Students from Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School performed stage productions based on interviews with veterans, weaving their stories into musical vignettes alongside wartime classics like White Cliffs of Dover. According to Gaudet, the shows soon expanded, with the group partnering with community theatres and Royal Canadian Legion branches across Nova Scotia in Bedford, Shelburne, Truro and the Annapolis Valley. Gaudet says the shows had an emotional impact on audiences. Second World War vets would come into the theatre in their wheelchairs and after the show they had an extra spring in their step because they saw their stories being told on stage, he says. Heartened by their success, the association decided to expand their reach. Yarmouth had been a centre for Fleet Air Arm telegraphist gunner crew training during the war. Those gunners would meet every year for a memorial weekend near Portsmouth, England. The Association contacted the group in England and arranged to present a show there tailored to them in 2004. "We took that to England the first year and then did a second show near Dover near the White Cliffs," Gaudet says. "The students got to sit down with them after around the table for a meal and share those stories and compare notes of of what really happened." The association's work soon expanded beyond theatre. Glen Gaudet is vice-chairman of the Wartime Heritage Association. (Gary Gaudet) In 2007, it was renamed the Wartime Heritage Association to better reflect its mission of researching and honouring individuals from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and across Canada who served in the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean War. Gaudet says they believe that a list of names on a cenotaph is not enough; each person has a unique story that deserves to be told. As of August 2025, their website says it hosts over 2,375 pages of content, including remembrance pages for nearly 5,750 casualties. One of the association's most significant discoveries is the overlooked stories of those not listed on local memorials. The initial project was focused on Yarmouth, but they discovered many casualties with ties to the area whose names were not on the local cenotaph because their families had moved away. The Yarmouth War Memorial was unveiled on June 9, 1923, to honour service members lost in the First World War. Plaques were subsequently added to honour those who fell in the Second World War and the Korean War. (Veterans Affairs Canada) This led them to expand their mandate to include all of Nova Scotia. Their list of Second World War casualties with ties to Nova Scotia now stands at almost 3,800, which is significantly more than previous official estimates. The numbers include merchant navy sailors, whose service was often under recognized despite its extreme danger. WATCH | 2007 theatrical performance in Kent, England: Their website attracts hundreds of daily visits from around the world, and the association's outreach includes partnerships with international organizations like the Royal British Legion. The work remains largely volunteer-driven, with Gaudet and chairman George Egan leading the charge. Gaudet says donations are always welcome and members of the public are welcome to share stories or volunteer in support of their mission. For Gaudet, the heart of the project lies in the humanity behind the data. "History is the foundation, the actual facts of it, but the heart of our site lies in the heritage part of it," he says. "Even though we may not have known them ourselves, we can still hopefully learn a little bit about who they were and what happened to them."