Toronto, Ontario
A former Royal Canadian Navy Veteran and historian, Mr. McDonald took it upon himself to locate photographs and information of fallen Second World War soldiers from the Oakridge Legion and community. His research was intensive and included speaking to relatives in Canada and abroad. One of his binders is located at The Royal Canadian Legion's Branch # 73 and includes photos, ranks, family members, regiments and regimental numbers, where the soldiers lived, where they fought and finally, where they died and were buried. Mr. McDonald also lobbied his Toronto City councillor to have streets named after fallen soldiers in a new sub-division near Scarborough. This submission was unanimously supported in Toronto City Council and to date, 14 streets have been named honouring 17 men (as there were brothers who died in battle). An official unveiling ceremony for the first street signs was held on November 4, 2008. This is the first time Toronto has honoured its fallen military by emblazing a poppy as a sign of Remembrance on the street sign. Thanks to Mr. McDonald's tireless efforts, this event was attended by Army units, HMCS York, the Air Force Fighter Wing as well as other regiments and it attracted local media coverage.