Fallen soldiers from southern Alberta honoured in Field of Crosses

Thousands of Albertans who gave the ultimate sacrifice are once again being remembered in the Field of Crosses Memorial Project.

For the eighth year, a team of 200 volunteers erected more than 3,200 white crosses in the field along Memorial Drive between Centre Street and 3rd Street S.W., each inscribed with the name, age at death, rank, regiment and date of death of southern Alberta soldiers who lost their life in a foreign land.

Officials estimate more than 4,000 soldiers from southern Alberta have beenkilled, however, somore crosses are added each year asfamilies get involved, said organizer Dave Howard.

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"We really rely on the public to get us some information, it is run by volunteers so we do our best to make it that we're representing everybody and anybody that lost their life from southern Alberta," he said.

"But that's not to say that we have them all so we do encourage people to go to the Field of Crosses website. If we've missed someone we would be happy to get a cross up as fast as possible."

John Beatty did just that last year, wanting to add a cross for his father, also named John Beatty. The elder Beattywas killed on July 25, 1944 while fighting in Normandy. His grave is in the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in France.

The younger Beatty is also a veteran, having served with the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) from 1964 to 1974.

He never met his father John was born in Vermilion three months after his father was killed but said it was important to memorialize him.

"It has to be here," he said.

"None of my family except for my wife and my two children have been to France to visit his grave and we owe it to this man, this man I never knew."

Beatty's mother hadn't told his father about the pregnancy before he left, not wanting him to worry.

"This is elating," he said standing in front of his father's cross.

"It's filled a hole in my heart. I'm a victim of the war but so were all of these men and their families and I'm sure they all feel the same way. I'm immensely touched."

A flag-raising ceremony will be held at sunrise,and a flag-lowering ceremony at sunset each day between Nov. 1 and 11.