Bowen Road Cemetery in Nanaimo is home to 23 Commonwealth war graves, which will soon be standing after lying flat for more than 60 years.

“Every Remembrance Day I come and visit these guys and make sure they’re not forgotten,” says Kevin Hills, a local military historian who places a Canadian flag and poppy on the headstones every November .

For the past four years, Hills has advocated for the City of Nanaimo to change its cemetery bylaw and make an exception for the 23 men who served in the Commonwealth Armed Forces during the world wars.

“I feel like these guys have been overlooked and forgotten,” Hills adds.

At Monday night’s council meeting, the city made the decision to amend the bylaw, allowing for the resurrection of the Commonwealth headstones.

In the 1960s, the city joined a national initiative to improve cemetery maintenance.

“The federal government started a program to install markers with writing on one side,” says David Thompson, director of cemeteries for the City of Nanaimo.

There are 1.7 million Commonwealth war graves worldwide, which are maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

The CWGC was established in 1917 and honors those who died in both World Wars while serving in Commonwealth countries.

Hills also wants the CWGC to honor its commitment and responsibility to maintain headstones that have been neglected in Nanaimo.

“They are committed to perpetual care of these headstones,” he said. “They own the headstones, they built them, they install them. »

The CWGC told CTV News in a statement it is aware of the bylaw changes in Nanaimo.

“Our principles of commemoration are that each individual be remembered by name permanently and equally,” the statement said. “How we do this differs, and vertical headstones are one of many forms of CWGC commemoration across Canada.”

The City of Nanaimo expects the CWGC to begin the process of resurrecting the headstones in the spring.

“When people drive by, they will see these headstones and remember them,” Hills said.