The researcher – Pieter Valkenburg.  The writer – Daria Valkenburg.  Born in The Netherlands, Pieter served in the Dutch Air Force before going on to a career in the Dutch Foreign Service. He was posted to ten different places around the world during his diplomatic years, and speaks Dutch, English, and German. Now retired, he is a member of the Borden-Carleton Legion.  Canadian born Daria is a retired accountant, adult education instructor, and writer. 

Daria is the author of a book about our 2017 war memorial tour in Europe.  For more information on ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/  You can also watch a short book trailer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCFCCH8MQG8

In February 2023, the Board of Governors of the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation selected Pieter and Daria for a 2023 Heritage Recognition Award for our research project ‘On The War Memorial Trail’ .

On October 21, 2022, Pieter received the PEI Senior Islander of the Year Award, for his ongoing research to uncover the stories and photos of those who served in WW1 and WW2, and sharing his research findings with the public. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/10/23/pieter-receives-pei-senior-islander-of-the-year-award/)

In January 2020, Pieter was awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers for his ongoing research to uncover the stories and photos of those who served in WW1 and WW2, and sharing his research findings with the public.   (See https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/342-116665)

In November 2017, Pieter and Daria were awarded the Senate of Canada 150 Medal for their contribution to the history of PEI in researching and telling the stories of the names on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion.