They WereYoung Once
Keeping History Alive — Remembering Those Who Served
As living memory fades, remembrance becomes our responsibility. Behind every engraved name was a young life, a human story, and a future changed by war.
There comes a time when living memory becomes history.
The men and women who served in times of war are no longer with us in great numbers. Their voices, their stories and their first-hand accounts are fading, leaving behind photographs, letters, medals and names etched in stone. Each of those names represents a person — someone who was young once, with hopes, dreams, families and a future that was forever changed by the course of history.
Remembrance is not simply about the past. It is about people — real people — who stepped forward when it mattered most. They came from our towns and cities, our neighbourhoods and rural communities. They were students, tradesmen, farmers, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. They were young once.
They were young once.
It is easy, in the comfort of today, to see their faces in black and white and think of them only as soldiers. But they were so much more. They were people with laughter, with ambition, with ordinary lives, who found themselves in extraordinary times. They showed courage, resilience and selflessness, often at a profound personal cost.
As scale modellers, historians and enthusiasts, we have a unique way to keep their stories alive. Through the models we build, the research we do and the history we share, we help ensure that their service is not forgotten. Each model, each story and each conversation is a small but meaningful act of remembrance.
Campaign Focus
- Remember service
Acknowledge their courage and commitment. - Preserve memory
Keep their stories alive for future generations. - Share history
Educate, inspire and pass on what we have learned. - Honour sacrifice
Show our gratitude and respect, always.
They Were Young Once.
Keeping History Alive — Remembering Those Who Served
There comes a time when living memory becomes history.
The voices grow quiet. The personal stories become fewer. The faces in old photographs are no longer recognized. Those who stood beside them, laughed with them, and shared their hardships are gone. Eventually, a life once filled with hopes, dreams, friendships and ordinary moments becomes a name engraved upon a memorial.
But they were young once.
Before the uniforms, before the battles, before history recorded their sacrifice, they were sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands, wives, sweethearts and friends. They had plans for the future. They fell in love. They laughed, made mistakes, dreamed of coming home, and imagined the lives that lay ahead.
Some returned, forever changed by what they had experienced. Others never had the opportunity to grow old, raise families, or discover what their lives might have become.
And with each passing year, we move further from the people who knew them, loved them, and remembered the sound of their voices.
That is why remembrance matters.
A name carved into stone tells us someone was here. It cannot tell us what made them smile, what frightened them, whom they loved, or the courage it took to face another day. Those are the human stories we must work to preserve.
At Kawartha Scale Modellers (KSM), we believe that keeping history alive carries a responsibility beyond preserving the appearance of the aircraft, vehicles, ships and equipment of another era.
Behind every machine was a human being. Behind every uniform was a life. Behind every historical event were ordinary people confronted by extraordinary circumstances.
Through historical research, scale modelling, storytelling and the sharing of knowledge, we can help bring those people back into focus. Not to glorify war, but to understand its human cost and ensure that future generations recognize the lives behind the history.
For those who served, those who came home, those who carried invisible wounds, and those whose names remain engraved in stone, our responsibility is the same.
Remember that they lived, not simply that they died.
Remember their youth, their humanity, their hopes, and the futures that war changed or took away.
One day, the last person who knew them personally will be gone. From that moment forward, remembrance will depend entirely upon those who never had the privilege of knowing them.
That responsibility now passes to us.
They were young once. They were loved. They had names, faces, dreams and lives worth remembering.
Let us ensure they never become merely names upon a wall.
Keeping History Alive. Remembering Those Who Served.
We Will Remember Them.
Canadian Battlefields Remembered
KEY PLACES • CANADIAN SACRIFICE • LASTING LEGACY
Vimy Ridge
At Vimy Ridge in April 1917, Canadian troops fought together with extraordinary courage and skill, capturing a heavily defended position at great cost. It was a defining moment for Canada, a battle that showed the strength, resolve and growing identity of a nation.
Passchendaele
The Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 tested Canadian soldiers in some of the harshest conditions of the war — mud, rain and relentless fire. Despite immense losses, they pressed forward with determination, a powerful example of endurance, sacrifice and the human cost of war.
REMEMBRANCE IN ACTION
Why the Royal Canadian Legion’s Poppy Campaign Matters
Each autumn, the small red poppy asks Canadians to look beyond the names engraved in stone and remember the lives behind them. Through The Royal Canadian Legion’s Poppy Campaign, that promise of remembrance reaches into our schools, workplaces, neighbourhoods and communities.
But the Campaign is more than a symbol. Poppies are distributed freely, while donations to the Legion’s Poppy Trust Funds provide practical assistance to Veterans and their families. That support can include emergency essentials, housing and accessibility needs, medical equipment, and services that help those who served face the challenges of everyday life.
Behind the collection boxes are Legion volunteers and local branches working to ensure that remembrance remains a living responsibility. Wearing a poppy honours those who served; supporting the Campaign also helps care for those who returned and the families who continue to carry their stories.
Remembering the fallen and caring for the living are two parts of the same promise.
Learn about The Royal Canadian Legion’s Poppy Campaign and how Poppy Fund donations support Veterans.
A small flower, a lasting remembrance, and tangible support for Veterans and their families.
Why remembrance matters
Remembrance matters because it connects generations. It reminds us of the cost of freedom and the value of peace. It helps us understand our history, not just as a series of dates and battles, but as the lived experiences of real people.
By remembering, we honour their sacrifice, we learn from the past, and we strengthen our responsibility to build a better, more peaceful future. Remembrance is not only a moment in time — it is a commitment to never forget.
Their stories live on.
Through memory, through history, and through the models we build, we keep their legacy alive.
LEST WE FORGET
