Calgary, Alberta
Ms. Maxwell was raised in a military family and has committed thousands of hours of her time to ensure that those who fought and died are remembered and honoured. Her father served in the 5th Canadian Armoured Division, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) in the Italian Campaign. One uncle landed on Juno Beach with the Canadian Scottish Regiment, and another was in Europe with the RCASC. Ms. Maxwell has contributed to many projects that research the families of the fallen in Canadian War Cemeteries, including the Villanova War Cemetery. Her extensive research has supported three book projects and she has produced six educational brochures which are used by school teachers in Canada and Italy. Ms. Maxwell has also assisted a school in British Columbia in their preparation for a trip to Monte Cassino, Italy. She prepared a brochure for the 70th anniversary of the Italian Campaign, in memory of the Canadian soldiers who fought at the Lamone River Crossing at Russi, Italy. Ms. Maxwell has researched and found the families of the Commanding Officers Regiment that fought in Northern Holland, allowing Dutch dignitaries to make them honorary citizens. Recently, Ms. Maxwell has contributed to the Holten Project entitled “A Face for Every Name”, which aims to place a photo or story with each of the 1,300 Canadian soldiers that are buried in Holten Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands. Ms. Maxwell is currently working with a representative of Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery to do the same thing. This project is called “Faces to Graves.” Together with Mark Velhuis, a teacher in Holland, they are working on a new project due to start in September, where students can correspond with Veterans and get to know them on a personal level. In collaboration with an Italian colleague, Alessandro Campagna, Mayor of Torrice, a plaque was placed at the Torrice Crossroads to commemorate the Lord Strathcona Horse (Royal Canadian) and their battle at the crossroads on May 30, 1944.