La Ronge man carries on with Second World War tribute

After the end of the Second World War, the province of Saskatchewan named thousands of lakes and islands after service men and women who didn’t make it home.

For 21 years La Ronge pilot Doug Chisholm has photographed and catalogued these geographical sites in northern Saskatchewan.

Many of the families of these fallen war heroes are vaguely aware these memorial sites exist, says Chisholm who calls it an “honour” to be part of keeping their memories alive.

“When I receive a letter from a family that expresses their feelings, I keep them all on file. I guess that’s what sustains it. That’s what encourages me to carry on,” Chisholm told 650 CKOM.

“So many of the brothers and sisters are gone now, but nieces and nephews call me. There’s always stories to tell.”

Roughly 91,000 people from Saskatchewan enlisted in the Second World War. The Saskatchewan virtual war memorial website lists all 5,015 casualties with nearly 4,000 geographical sites baring their names.

Chisholm covers most of the costs to operate his aircraft.

He says the rewards of the project are about more than money for him.

“I’ve had contact with families over the years that were really grateful for the experience and to learn about these geographical features,” he said.

Chisholm intends to carry on until he’s photographed each site.