The Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation is a charity group that was formed 18 years ago. It was created by retired veterans to honour fellow veterans who’ve died in service. The foundation has created thousands of commemorative displays for fallen veterans. This past January, the foundation has sent a plaque to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 96 in honour of veteran William John Dunnigan.
Dunnigan was a Merritt native, born and raised. He enlisted in Vancouver back in 1942 to serve as a Pilot Officer during World War II. Dunnigan died three years later after his air craft crashed into the North Sea. Dunnigan was recognized with several medals and is commemorated in England and across Canada.
“They sent that to Merritt because Mr. Dunnigan is a veteran as well as a long term member of the Merritt community,” said Legion President Arlene Johnston. “There’s a lot of people in Merritt that know his family so this was a great way to pay tribute to him.”
The plaque is displayed at the local Legion’s lounge for visitors to read and learn more about Dunnigan’s life story.
“We’re proud of our veterans and what they did for their country,” she said. “A lot of people may not know his history so this plaque is a great way of finding it out. I think it’s great to recognize our veterans. We want to let people know that we still care about veterans and we’re here to support them both active and retired.”
