The Editor:
Away from the heavy traffic of Lougheed Highway and Dewdney Trunk Road in Coquitlam, just off Irving Street, lies the quiet Thacker Avenue.
This serene street, lined with a dozen homes and a red maple tree, holds a history its residents might not know.
The name "Thacker" is shared by my family, who have lived in Coquitlam since the 1920s, yet none of us knew the connection until my research revealed it.
Developed into family neighbourhoods during the 1970s, some streets were named to honour fallen veterans.
Thacker Avenue is named after my great-great-uncle, Lance Corporal Hubert “Hub” John Thacker of the Pacific Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (P.P.C.L.I.), who died in 1944 at age 21.
Hub, a gentle soul with warm hazel eyes and a talent for watercolours, lived at 945 Smith Ave. when war broke out in 1939.
In January 1943, he enlisted with his best friend, Jack Clements, but they were separated when Jack contracted scarlet fever.
Serving in Italy with the 5th Canadian Armoured Division, Hub advanced up the rugged eastern coast in summer 1944.
Their goal was the highly perched and heavily fortified German artillery guns of the Gothic Line near Rimini.
During this time, Hub wrote often to his mother, Emily, promising to care for her when he returned home. Tragically, he never did.
On Sept. 17, 1944, heavy artillery bombardment struck Hub’s column of British Infantry support tanks. Hub and another officer sought cover under a tank, which was then hit, killing them instantly.
At their Coquitlam home, Hub’s mother, Emily, was startled awake by his voice calling out to her in the early morning. She circled the date on the calendar. That memory slowly receded into the background of daily life, until a car from the Ministry of Defense pulled up to the house.
Lance Corporal Hubert John Thacker (P.P.C.L.I.) is buried at the Coriano Ridge War Cemetery near Rimini, Italy.
His sacrifice is commemorated by the street that bears his name, a silent tribute to his bravery and the community he left behind.
- Ron Thacker, Mission
