One of the graves in Mayo that Ted Usher, President of the B.C. Branch of the Last Post Fund, is researching as part of the non-profits' recent expansion to the Yukon. Photo provided by Ted Usher.
Whitehorse, YT – A couple of weather-beaten white wooded crosses blend right in at the cemetery in Mayo and over 2,000 kilometers a retired cop on Vancouver Island is looking into whether these could be eligible for an upgraded headstone to better mark the unmarked and temporary graves of Canada’s veterans.
These graves will be the first that the Last Post Fund’s Unmarked Grave Program has looked at in the three territories.
The Last Post Fund is a non-profit that receives funding through Veterans Affairs Canada that aims to provide permanent grave markers for Canada’s veterans.
The retired cop researching the graves in Mayo is Ted Usher, the President of the B.C. branch of the Last Post which recently expanded to include the Yukon.
“I made some approaches to the local Legion up in Whitehorse there, got a hold of a fellow there that was willing to join our branch. He’s signed up as a member so we now have that connection,” said Usher about laying the foundation for work in the Yukon earlier this year.
One significant challenge is the distance between members of the B.C. branch and the Yukon communities they’re trying to work with but Usher says this doesn’t cause any issues because it’s the help from locals in Yukon communities that make this work possible.
“We depend on these local people in museums, local genealogy groups, or family members who know the cemeteries, and you just connect with them through Facebook Messenger or email,” Usher noted.
A post that Usher made on the Village of Mayo’s Facebook Group garnered numerous responses and even resulted in him receiving photos of the graves he is researching.
Help from locals plays a key part in the meticulous research that often begins with the Find a Grave website and requires verification through grave photos, death certificates, obituaries, service records, and more. Once verified an application is processed by the Last Post Fund’s main office and, if approved, a headstone is ordered and installed free-of-charge.
In 2023-24 528 grave markers were paid for and installed by the Unmarked Grave Program in the provinces.
Another vital aspect of the Last Post Fund’s work is through the Indigenous Veterans Initiative which aims to identify and properly mark the graves of Indigenous veterans.
The Last Post Fund estimates there could be between 6,000 to 8,000 unmarked or temporary grave sites for Canadian veterans across the country and Usher hopes that by working with Yukonners they can help change that.
“I look forward to cooperation from any of the locals, from the Legion or any veterans that are up there, who have served recently,” said Usher. “I’m looking forward to any information that they can direct our way to help us reach our goal of identifying every veteran that’s buried in a cemetery that does not have a headstone.”
Usher says he’s got a lot of work cut out for him in the days ahead as the Last Post Fund begins their work in the Yukon but he’s taking one step at a time and for him that work starts in Mayo.
