Fort Erie Legion mural had to be ‘maintained for future generations’

Local artist Tom Prow says he always does research before taking on a mural project.

And that’s what he did when he was approached by the Royal Canadian Legion earlier this year to spruce up a mural on the side of their Garrison Road building, a painting that has been on the north-facing wall since it was created by artist Dave Sopha in 2003.

Prow said he is already a history buff so he knew a lot about the content of the painting.

He nonetheless made sure to have all the specific information before he began his plan to repair, restore, and preserve the mural, which includes imagery of the HMCS Fort Erie, a naval ship commissioned in 1944 and taken out of service in 1965.

There is also a T-33 Red Knight jet, which is a symbol of Fort Erie’s decades-long role in aeronautics, he said.

Old Fort Erie, a prominent site in the War of 1812, as well as the Peace Bridge, a symbol of U.S.-Canada relations, are also key pieces of the ‘Lest We Forget’ painting that he spent this summer making improvements on.

But what he feels most connected to is that his grandfather’s brother William Prow is listed as a fallen soldier on the painting, as well as on the cenotaph at Mather Arch. He was killed in the War and is buried in Holland.

His grandfather George also fought in the conflict but made it home alive, Prow told Fort Erie Radio in an interview.

“It needs to be maintained for future generations,” he said.

“That’s world history on that mural,” he added.

Prow is 60 years old and has done other murals in Fort Erie, including a large one on the front of Happy Jack’s Restaurant, which is signage for the business on one side and the other an illustration reflecting Chinese mythology and Pangu, believed by some to be the figure that created Yin and Yang, two opposite forces in the universe.

Prow recently completed a mural inside Sophia’s Cocktail Lounge, as well as one on rear exterior wall of that local business.

He has done a number of projects for private clients as well, he said.

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