'Symbol of Charleswood': Winnipeg legion raising funds to conserve iconic tank
Charleswood Legion 100 is raising money to maintain an iconic symbol of its neighbourhood, while honouring Canadian veterans.
The legion is home to a Second World War-era Sherman tank that was built in 1945 by the Fisher Tank Division of General Motors in Detroit, Mich.
"It's probably the symbol of Charleswood that most people would recognize first,” said Tom Crew, chairman of the Charleswood Legion.
It was refurbished in 2021, and sits in front of the legion on Roblin Boulevard.
To raise funds for the tank's conservation, as well as a nearby war memorial, the legion is building a memorial wall.
Crew says it will be covered with plaques bearing the rank, name, unit and years of service of someone who served in the Canadian Armed Forces.
"A number of people from the legion and the community have asked for us to come up with a way that we could honour our fathers, grandfathers, other people that served in the military,” Crew said.
“We came up with the idea of having a memorial wall where they could memorialize their relatives, friends, etcetera and at the same time, raise money for the maintenance of the tank."
Charleswood Legion 100 chairman Tom Crew is pictured with the organization's Sherman tank on Feb. 20, 2024. (Source: Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg)
The legion plans to sell 100 memorial plaques at $125 a pop. They will be attached to a large, wall-mounted stainless steel plate.
Crew says although the tank is a symbol of the Second World War, veterans from many different eras and conflicts can be honoured on the wall.
Tank bears marking of Fort Garry Horse
The tank has particular significance, Crew says, as it came from the Fort Garry Horse, a unit formed in Winnipeg in 1912. The regiment was mobilized in the First World War, going east to Quebec, and eventually to France and Belgium.
During the Second World War, the unit trained in England and was among the first to land in Normandy on D-Day in 1944.
Len Van Roon, who at 102 years old is the Charleswood Legion’s oldest living veteran, served in the Second World War and has distinct memories of Sherman tanks.
“He used to sleep in that tank in the evenings, not during the day when it was being used, but it was the safest place to be at night,” Crew said.
“It’s stories like that that sort of bring home the meaning of the tank for a lot of people.”
Anyone interested in contributing to the memorial wall is asked to contact the Charleswood Legion.
The Second World War-era Sherman tank is pictured on Feb. 20, 2024. It bears the marking of the Fort Garry Horse, a unit formed in Winnipeg in 1912. (Source: Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
BREAKING Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION If you think you can’t focus for long, you’re right: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.