THE WAR EFFORT

St. Peters Bay War Memorial Photo courtesy of Roddy Pratt

Adventure, respect, a decent paycheck, and a sense of duty were some of the more appealing aspects of enlisting for the many young men who left home in the first half of his century. Islanders have volunteered for service on a per capita basis far exceeding many other parts of the country. (1) St. Peters was no exception. Within Canada, St. Peters had the highest enlistment and casualty rate per capita in Canada. (2)

In the late 197 Os, the St. Peters Bay Memorial Historical Society was formed. The mandate of this group was to compile a memorial book on the servicemen that had survived and perished in WI, WWII, and the Korean War. The boundaries used for this book were the St. Peters Bay Parish and St. Peters Bay Post Office boundaries. In 1987 four women from the area researched the book- In 1989 the second phase of the book occurred, which included editing, and the professional compiling of Veterans picturesf They Chose To Serve is a detailed book of the 307 Veterans from the St. Peters Bay area: 1 17 in WW1, 183 in WWII, and 7 in the Korean War. The proceeds from this book went toward erecting a memorial monument, which was officially unveiled in the fall of 1991. Roddy Pratt, Chairman of the Memorial Historical Committee recalled the

day of the unveiling:

* These women were Mary Burge, Aileen Dwan, Vera Gallant, Teresa Wilson, Karen MacInnis, Joanne MacKinnon, and Wanda MacKinnon.

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