Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Mr. Alan Fox has developed a life-long passion for the military history of the Commonwealth and has shown a keen interest in educating people and promoting the importance of remembrance. He is regularly involved with local commemorative activities and Remembrance Day parades with his antique military vehicle. The vehicle is also put on display multiple times per year for commemorative activities where Mr. Fox speaks to the general public and youth groups on the subject of past wars and a soldier’s life, hardships and sacrifices.
In 2014, Mr. Fox joined a small group of volunteers at the Port Moody Station Museum to construct what became one of Canada’s most significant First World War exhibits, a full-size trench. The hand-dug trench is six to eight feet deep, almost 150 feet in length and includes an authentic observation post, a barbed-wire no man’s land and deep shell craters. This was an incredible undertaking and Mr. Fox became a leading member of the volunteer group. Living quite a distance from the project, Mr. Fox showed his extreme dedication to the commemorative project by driving a considerable distance every weekend to assist in any way he could, despite sustaining several injuries during the construction. With the project completed, Mr. Fox now spends many weekends volunteering as an interpretive guide where he dresses in an authentic First World War uniform and shares the story of Canadians and the First World War.