Manitoba geographical features to be named after fallen First World War soldiers

The provincial government wants tohonour Manitobans who lost their lives during the First World War but first it needs to find the names of those soldiers.

"Although we have a list of 1,092 confirmed Manitoba casualties of the First World War, we know there were many more,"saidConservation and Water Stewardship Minister TomNevakshonoff.

It is believed as many as 7,000 men and women from Manitoba lost their lives while serving Canada in the Great War.However, there are few reliable records, as soldiers were often transferred between regiments and some records were lost, saida news release from the province.

The government is calling on the public to help identify those fallen heroes so it can name geographical features after them.Andrew Swan, Manitoba'sspecial envoy for military affairs, said the project willhonoursoldiers "in a way that also celebrates the land they fought [for] and died to protect.

Manitoba currently has more than 4,200 lakes, islands, bays and other geographical features named after fallen soldiers who served from the Second World War to the present day.

The effort to extend the same honour to those who served in the First World War began with the naming of Sidney Halliday Lake in Duck Mountain Provincial Park after Pte. Sidney Halliday.

To add the name of a soldier lost during the First World War, members of the public cancontact the Manitoba Geographical Names Program of Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship at204-945-6680or visit the Manitoba Geographical Names Programwebsite.