OLDS — Two plaques honouring local residents who were killed in the two World Wars and the Korean War were saved from possible theft, thanks to an alert family walking through Centennial Park on Saturday.
Both plaques are now safe and sound in the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #105, while the organization’s executive ponders what to do to keep them safe, says branch president Sheila Peters.
The Legion was alerted to the situation on Saturday, Aug. 20.
Local residents Dave and Joy Casselman were walking through the park with family members when one went over to read the plaques and discovered at least one, which honours the fallen in the First World War and the Second World War, was hanging by only one bolt.
Dave phoned the Legion to warn them about that fact and a couple of Legion representatives rushed over to the scene.
Peters says with the help of Casselman, they took both plaques down and placed them into a truck for the trip to the Legion.
Peters is grateful for Casselman’s help. She believes thieves were trying to remove them. She noted other plaques have been stolen around town in recent months.
The same has happened across the province as well because the copper or brass they’re made of is very valuable.
It wasn’t an easy job. Peters says the First World War and Second World War plaque measures 24 inches by 30 and weighs about 200 pounds.
“We figured if we left it, it would be gone for sure,” she said.
She said the Korean one is about six inches by 10 inches.
Peters says she and other Legion members are outraged by the apparent theft attempt.
“One fellow that helped take it down, he was a vet. He feels like it was a very dishonourable thing. There’s no respect there whatsoever,” she said.
“Very disrespectful.”
Peters said for the moment, the plaques will stay in the Legion until members can decide how best to keep them safe.
She anticipates they’ll go back on the cenotaph in some thief-proof way, although she says the matter will likely be brought up during a Legion executive meeting shortly. She could even call a special meeting to deal with it.
Peters agrees it might feel safer to keep them in the Legion, but that could prove difficult.
"The only thing is, a 200-pound unit, where do you hang it in the Legion where it’s safe? You’ve got to have a pretty sturdy wall or whatever,” she said.
