In July 2016, I checked off an entry on my bucket list. I finally went to Pilley's Island, Nfld. Growing up I had heard some stories from my papa, Lance Maye, of where he lived until he joined the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit. As we drove into Pilley's Island I felt a sense of home. We went to the Heritage Museum and found a picture (see attached) of my papa and two of his friends. I was overwhelmed with emotions. Also, on the wall was a wooden plaque with the names of all the men from Pilley's Island who served in WWI, WWII and the NOFU. I have always been proud of my papa but that day it reached a new level. He never talk about his time in the NOFU. While in Scotland, he met and married Jane Christie and eventually they moved to Ontario. In 1952 while working for the local steel company, a steel slab fell on my papa and paralyzed him from the waist down. At that time the doctors gave him six months to live but he had such strength and determination that he lived a full life. He passed away in 1988. I grew up knowing that with love, courage and drive anything was possible. My papa lived a modified version of the life he had planned for himself and I never heard him complain or have any self-pity. Seeing and knowing the picture and plaque are in the Museum for all to see, warms my heart more than anyone could know. Thank you to the Heritage Museum in Pilley's Island for keeping the memory of my papa and the other men who served alive.
I can be reached at lerickson@cogeco.ca.
Photos were taken at the Museum with permission.   Submitted By: Laura Erickson