New memorial in Hants County honours Harvie family’s WW II sacrifice

A monument honouring the legacy of members of the Harvie family from Gormanville, N.S., who served in the Second World War is being unveiled in Hants County on Saturday.

A ceremony will be held at the Hants North Legion branch in Noel at 2 p.m.

Brothers Avard, Burrell, Edmund, Ernest, Ervin, Garnet, Marven and Victor all served in Europe. Burrell and Marven didn’t return. 

Marven Harvie is buried in the Netherlands and Burrell Harvie is buried in Surrey in the U.K.

Jeff Thurber, president of the Hants North Legion Branch 166, said he initiated the project after a Remembrance Day service in 2023 when he learned that most of the local community was unaware of the sacrifices made by the family.

“If the community in which they were born and raised doesn’t even know about them, I’m sure the rest of the province, country doesn’t know anything about them,” Thurber said.

“They’re honoured in the U.K., but here they’ve never heard tell of them.”

Thurber said he approached other legion members to plan a memorial to the brothers on the grounds of the legion in Noel to ensure the community paid tribute to their sacrifice.

The legion applied for a grant from Veterans Affairs but were told the project did not meet the required criteria, Thurber said.

He said the community and local legions rallied despite the setback and raised over $30,000 to cover the costs.

Saturday’s unveiling marks the end of four days of activities dedicated to the Harvie brothers. A military flyover has been arranged for the ceremony.

The monument, which hasn’t had a public viewing, features pictures of all eight brothers.

Victor Harvie, the son of Ernest Harvie, was named after his uncle and also served in the military.

Harvie, 83, said war was rarely discussed in his family, likely due to the trauma associated with their experiences.

“My dad, my mom, all of them, they definitely didn’t want me to join … and I can see why now,” said Victor, who is 83.

“I’ve met a lot of military guys that had been in a war … and none of them ever, ever, ever talked anything about overseas or what happened.”

Marven’s grave in Holland became a place of personal pilgrimage for Victor while he was stationed in Germany, though he never had the chance to visit Burrell’s grave in England.

Harvie said the unveiling and the events leading up drew family members from as far away as Alberta and Ontario, many of whom he had never met.

He expressed gratitude to the committee, the legion president, and everyone in the community involved in the project.