Homes of Heroes

Homes of Heroes Homes of Heroes is an organization striving to honour and thank the veterans of Paris Ontario.

Recognizing those of Paris ON who answered the call to serve Canada and Canada's allies

A vast number of people from Paris Ontario are known to have served in the military during the great wars of WW I and WW II. After the great wars residents of Paris continued to join the Canadian Armed Forces, and serve Canada; serving in the Korean War, peacekeeping operations, The War in Afghanistan, and con

tinue to serve today. Homes of Heroes strives to share where they came from, and their journey while serving with the military.

What a start, but this is just the beginning... First off, thank you to everyone who supports Homes of Heroes and the wo...
11/14/2025

What a start, but this is just the beginning...

First off, thank you to everyone who supports Homes of Heroes and the work we're doing, and to those who reached out to include their family who served.

A quick update from us:
We’ve collected the signs across Paris to reuse them next year. You can continue to learn about Paris’s veterans on our website, which will be available throughout the year.

Now that the initial rush is over, we're taking some time to see how we can improve and continue to expand going forward.
Posts of local veterans will continue, but perhaps spaced out a little for now.

Our First Remembrance Day:
This year, we focused on those who served during the Second World War, as that group had the most readily available information. We know of over 500 people from Paris who served during that time, and we've made good progress by writing over 140 articles about those individuals. We continue to learn more about all of them every day.
As mentioned, this is just the beginning. Over 100 individuals are named on the Paris Cenotaph who gave their lives during the First World War, and many more served during that time. As well looking ahead, we want to include those who served after 1945, whether in conflict or peace, as many people continue to serve today too.
The task is significant, the work is extensive, and it may take some time, but we will continue to honour those who answered the call from our community.

As we continue to work, the greater community can help too:
For those who served in the military or know of someone who served, please let us know. Even providing a name and a little detail gives us a lead to follow, and at the very least lets us know the person is out there.

Follow us for updates: At the moment, social media will be one of the fastest ways to get updates from us. We’re working on additional ways of keeping everyone up to date on our work, such as when we add articles or update existing ones. We have a number of ideas on how to improve and help expand, and we’ll be sure to let you know as those ideas develop and roll out.

Finally, please share the project with your friends, neighbours, and colleagues. Whether by social media, the website, or just by talking about it, as more members of the community learn what we’re doing, more people will reach out to share their stories.

With the community's support, we can reach our goal of recognizing and honouring those who served.

Remembrance Day is a day to remember those who died in military service and honour those who served in wartime.Over 2.3 ...
11/11/2025

Remembrance Day is a day to remember those who died in military service and honour those who served in wartime.

Over 2.3 million Canadians have served throughout our history, and over 118,000 made the ultimate sacrifice.

Take a moment to honour them. They are more than names on a wall. They are our family, friends, and neighbours, each with their own unique story who put their lives on hold to answer the call to serve.

Lest We Forget

11/10/2025

These are many of the faces of those who are honoured at the Paris Cenotaph.

They fought during the Second World War. All were from Paris, and they did not return home. They made the ultimate sacrifice.

We Will Remember Them.

Thomas Vernon Martin was born in Biggar Saskatchewan in 1921. When Thomas was young his family moved to Paris, residing ...
11/10/2025

Thomas Vernon Martin was born in Biggar Saskatchewan in 1921. When Thomas was young his family moved to Paris, residing on Mount Elgin St.

He the 48th Highlanders of Canada on March 4th 1940, deploying to Sicily two months later.

Thomas was KIA in Biferno Italy on 25 Oct 1943, about one month from his 22nd birthday.



November 8th marks Indigenous Veterans Day. A day that recognizes the contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis ...
11/08/2025

November 8th marks Indigenous Veterans Day. A day that recognizes the contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis veterans.

Indigenous military contributions have always been a part of Canada's history. From the War of 1812, the First World War, Second World War, Korean War, Peacekeeping operations, the Cold War, Afghanistan and today as many indigenous people continue to proudly serve in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Photo of the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument at Confederation Park Ottawa

Henry P Foster is the oldest World War Two veteran living in Paris.At the age of 17 he enlisted with the Royal Canadian ...
11/07/2025

Henry P Foster is the oldest World War Two veteran living in Paris.

At the age of 17 he enlisted with the Royal Canadian Navy in 1942. Initially he was turned away because of his age but returned the following day with his parents permission. The day after he enlisted he was sent to Quebec City for training, eventually he was trained as a gunner.

Among the stories Henry shared with us, he tell about a time he traded Velvetta cheese with an Italian Partisan, for a bottle of Chianti and a mandolin.

To learn more about Henry and other veterans from Paris visit our site. And if you see Henry in town be sure to say hi and thank you.



Did you know that a mountain in the Yukon got it's name from a pilot from Paris?Mount Creeden, gets it's name from James...
11/06/2025

Did you know that a mountain in the Yukon got it's name from a pilot from Paris?
Mount Creeden, gets it's name from James Waldron "Wally" Creeden.

Born in Brantford, he lived most of his life in Paris at 100 Grand River Street South, now 22 Creeden Street.

One of the youngest graduates in his class of 51 airmen, Wally served with 407 "Demon" Squadron of the Coastal Command flying Hudson's. He was decorated for actions against two battleships off the Dutch coast. The film Coastal Command features his squadron.

Wally was KIA a few days after being promoted to Pilot Officer on 16 May 1942.
He was 20 years old.



Arthur Edward Shaw, lived on West River Street and attended Paris High School. A noted athlete, he played hockey, and l...
11/05/2025

Arthur Edward Shaw, lived on West River Street and attended Paris High School. A noted athlete, he played hockey, and lacrosse. He considered himself an amateur photographer, and a hobby mechanic working summers at a garage in Cainsville.

Arthur attempted to join the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1939 but he was not old enough. He joined in 1940 at the age of 18, eventually rising to the rank of Flight Officer, and servings as a Wireless Air Gunner.

After traveling overseas in 1941, he would eventually volunteer for services with the RAF in No. 70 Squadron.

On 25 November 1943, his plane was shot down during a night raid. He was 21 years old.

Research continues on Arthur, and 2 of his siblings. Edith who was part of the Canadian Women's Air Corps (CWAC) in Aurora, and James who was an anti-aircraft gunner.



Charles Elson, was born in Ayr, Ontario, in 1920. By the time he started school, his family moved to Burwell Street in ...
11/04/2025

Charles Elson, was born in Ayr, Ontario, in 1920. By the time he started school, his family moved to Burwell Street in Paris ON.

Charles and three of his brothers served during WWII, Charles traveled overseas to join the .

While he was overseas he married Christina Haig Elliot in Scotland; they had one child there. After returning to Canada they had three more children. When Christina passed away at the age of 69, Charles would remarry to Pearl Mary Knill.

Charles passed at the age of 87.



Thomas G English, was born in 1915, and grew up on Washington St in Paris. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 19...
11/04/2025

Thomas G English, was born in 1915, and grew up on Washington St in Paris. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940, and rose to the rank of Warrant Officer.

After WWII, he and his wife Olive moved to Ball St. Thomas lived to the age of 75, and is buried in the Paris Cemetery.

We are currently researching 3 others with the English last name. Were they related? Cousins perhaps? One of our goals of this project is to find these connections and share them as part of our veterans' stories.

Join us on our journey.



Address

Paris, ON

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Homes of Heroes posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category