HKVCA Commemorative Plaque

Originally Published: October 2017
See bottom of table below for date of last update.

Introduction

The Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association is pleased to offer unique commemorative plaques for installation in publicly accessible venues. To date, plaques have been installed in numerous locations across Canada.

Purpose

These colourful and informative plaques include text and graphics that depict the Battle (Defence) of Hong Kong, and are intended to commemorate the 1,976 Canadians who fought against the Japanese Imperial Army during December 1941.

Plaques are available in vertical and horizontal orientations as shown below. English and French versions are available. Click the images for a more detailed view.

How To Obtain a Plaque

Click on the “Contact Us” link at the top right of this page to start the ordering process. Tell us your name, where you would like to install the plaque and whether you would like the vertical or horizontal version.

Possible Venues

As our mission is one of education, venues supporting public access will garner the widest exposure. Legion branches are a good choice, as many Hong Kong Veterans were Legion members. Other possible venues include:

Community Centres,
Museums / Interpretive Centres,
Retirement Homes,
Sports Centres (look for "Memorial" in the name),
High Schools.

Responsibilities

Plaques are provided free of charge for pickup at the nearest Staples store, but the cost of installation is the responsibility of the sponsoring organization (e.g. Legion, high school, etc.). This includes any mounting fixtures such as brackets, and labour.
It must be located indoors, and in a location where it can easily be seen by people using the facility, such as a lobby.
There should be a dedication service at which the plaque is unveiled or presented. Family and friends of local Hong Kong Veterans could be invited, and could be given the opportunity to speak. The local sponsor is responsible for arranging the ceremony, along with any related costs (e.g. catering, if any).
Local media should be invited to cover the plaque unveiling.
A photograph(s) should be taken showing the mounted plaque, and including attendees of the ceremony, if possible. Photographs should be sent to webmaster@hkvca.ca for possible publication in the HKVCA’s newsletter.
The plaque must not be altered in any way without the written permission of the President of the HKVCA.

Plaque Mounting Details

Plaques are available in both vertical (portrait) and horizontal (landscape) versions. Please specify which you require upon ordering.
Dimensions of the vertical version are: 18” wide by 44” high (46cm wide by 112cm high) x approximately 0.4 inch (1cm). Dimensions of the horizontal version are: 44” wide by 18” high (112cm wide by 46cm high) x approximately 0.4” (1cm).
It is supplied mounted on a hard board, approximately 0.4” (1cm) in thickness. The plaque may be mounted by drilling a hole at each corner and affixing to the wall with screws, or alternatively by using mounting brackets.
It should be mounted permanently, and not hung by a wire.

Supporting Documents

Step-by-Step Instructions for the Organizer (PDF)
History of the Plaque - how it all got started

Completed and Planned Sites

Thinking of approaching a venue regarding plaque installation? Check out the list below to make sure that we've not already visited them.