A Manitoba historian and teacher have been mapping war memorials throughout the province, and digging for the stories behind them.

Gordon Goldsborough with the Manitoba Historical Society has teamed up with Darryl Toews in Morden to investigate over 250 memorials throughout the province.

Historian Gordon Goldsborough and teacher Darryl Toews have teamed up to investigate the dozens of war memorials throughout the province. (Nadia Kidwai/CBC )

For Toews, it started out of curiosity about the names listed on a memorial in Morden.

"I don't like the idea that these people were forgotten. That's what really motivated me," he said.

"At the time that these memorials were dedicated, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands wives, they were the ones who were there. They were the ones who knew the names. Now when we walk by these memorials, we don't know who these people were."

He and Goldsborough have now created an online database through the Manitoba Historical Society's website.

Toews said he wanted find the stories behind each person named on the memorials, like this one in Dauphin, Man. (Manitoba Historical. )

Finding details on each and every soldier has been no small feat, given that some memorials have hundreds of names on them, Toews said. But he points out that 20 years ago, it would have been impossible.

Now, he has access to digitized archives, like the service records through Library and Archives Canada.

There are close to 260 memorials throughout Manitoba, in both large and small communities, like this one in Russell. (Manitoba Historical Society. )

"It's an endless list of sources, and I always have the moment of eureka when I find someone," he said.

The searchable online database has a list of war memorials in Manitoba, plus details on each person who is named in the epitaph.

With files from Weekend Morning Show.