New memorial in Hants County honours Harvie family's WW II sacrifice

A monument honouring the legacy of members of the Harvie family from Gormanville, N.S.,who served in the Second World War was unveiled in Hants County on Saturday.

Brothers Avard, Burrell, Edmund, Ernest, Ervin, Garnet, Marven and Victor all served in Europe. Burrell and Marvendidn't return.

MarvenHarvie is buried in the Netherlands and Burrell Harvie is buried in Surrey in the U.K.

Jeff Thurber, president of the Hants North Legion Branch 166 in Noel, said he initiated the project after a Remembrance Day service in 2023 when he learned that most of the local communitywas unaware of the sacrifices made by the family.

"Ifthe community in which theywere born and raised doesn't even know about them, I'm surethe rest of the province, country doesn't know anything about them," Thurber said.

"They're honoured in the U.K., buthere they've never heard tell of them."

Thurber said he approached other legion members to plan a memorial to the brothers on the legion grounds to ensure the community paid tribute to their sacrifice.

The legion applied for a grant from Veterans Affairs but were told the project did not meet the requirements, Thurber said.

He saidthe community and local legions rallied despite the setback and raised over $30,000 to cover the costs.

Saturday's unveiling marked the end of four days of activities dedicated to the Harvie brothers. The monument features pictures of all eight brothers.

Victor Harvie, the son of Ernest Harvie, was named after hisuncle and also served in the military.

Harvie, 83, said war was rarely discussed in his family, likely due to the trauma associated with their experiences.

"My dad, my mom, all of them, they definitely didn't want me tojoin ... and I can see why now," said Victor, who is 83.

"I've met a lot ofmilitary guys that had been in a war ... and none of them ever, ever, ever talked anything about overseas or what happened."

Marven's grave in Holland became a place of personal pilgrimage for Victor while he was stationed in Germany, though he never had the chance to visit Burrell's grave in England.

Harviesaid this week's events drew family members from as far away as Alberta and Ontario, many of whom he had never met.

He expressed gratitude to the committee, the legion president, and everyone in the communityinvolved in the project.