Remembering the lives behind the names
As Toronto Police members gathered at Headquarters to observe Remembrance Day on November 11, Constable Matt Scarlino reflected on the connection between serving a community and serving a country.
“It means an acknowledgement of everyone that’s come before us,” said the Toronto Police Military Veterans Association (TPMVA)historian. “It’s an acknowledgement not only of service to the community, but service to the nation.”
The ceremony included a roll call of members who died in the First and Second World Wars and a reading of In Flanders Fields by Loy Martinez.
Shelley Carroll laid a wreath on behalf of the Toronto Police Service Board, Chief Myron Demkiw represented the Toronto Police Service and Dana Gidlow laid a wreath on behalf of the TPMVA.
Laurie Barratt, a relative of Victoria Cross recipient Corporal Frederick George Topham, laid a wreath on behalf of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.
“It is an honour to represent the family,” she said.
A medical orderly with the battalion, Topham parachuted into a heavily defended area east of the Rhine River in Germany on March 24, 1945. Despite being wounded, he continued treating and rescuing casualties under enemy fire. His actions earned him the Victoria Cross. He died in Toronto on May 31, 1974.
The annual remembrance carries particular significance for Scarlino, who has spent a decade researching the lives behind the names on the Service’s military memorial tablets.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had 39 members make the ultimate sacrifice in World War One and World War Two,” he said. “So today we gather, we read their names and we remember them.”
Scarlino’s research began during a visit to Headquarters in 2016 while working in the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
“I came to Headquarters to drop off a warrant, and I saw the bronze memorial tablets on the wall,” he recalled. “I saw the names on the tablet, and I looked around to see if there was any other information about these men. There wasn’t at the time and I took it upon myself to start looking into the history behind it.”
The tablets provided only a first initial and surname, leaving Scarlino to piece together the identities and histories of the men they commemorated.
His own family’s military connections helped prepare him for the task.
“On both sides of my family, they’ve served in the military,” Scarlino said. “They’ve served in the world wars. And I knew how to go about the research.”
What began as a personal interest became a commitment to finding a story and photograph for every member.
“It kind of started as a bit of a hobby or a passion project of mine, and it led me down this rabbit hole where I didn’t feel like the job was done until I knew each of their stories, found a photograph of each member,” Scarlino added. Once I had all that information, I didn’t want to just keep it to myself. So I worked with Corporate Communications and had their stories published online.”
Those accounts give members and the public an opportunity to learn about the people remembered each November, connecting the names read aloud with the lives they represent.
