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William Lapka, was one of 23 young men from Richmond who lost their lives in either World War I, World War II, or in the Korean war whose names were inscribed on the Richmond Cenotaph.
File photo by Chung Chow
In honour of our soldiers: William Lapka
Published 10:51 PDT, Thu September 25, 2025
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In our previous series, we learned about the 56 men who gave their lives during World War I and World War II, whose names had been inscribed on the Richmond Cenotaph and had a poppy street sign named after them. Following our poppy street sign series, we moved onto the young solders whose names were inscribed on the Richmond Cenotaph, but did not have a road named after them. Those names are compiled of 23 young men who lost their lives in World War I, World War II, or in the Korean War.
William Lapka was born on March 29, 1930 in the District of Wormley, Saskatchewan. Along life’s journey, the Lapka family found their way to Richmond. Mr. and Mrs. Sam and Sophie Lapka, along with their seven children, lived at 534 Blundell Road. William Lapka had three sisters and three brothers, their eldest son was Michael Lapka.
In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, hoping to reunify the two under a communist rule. As a result of this, the United Nations made the decision to defend the South in order to uphold the principles of collective security and human rights. Canada fought alongside other U.N. member states, making it the first instance that Canada participated in international military action under the United Nations.
William Lapka enlisted into the 2nd Battalion of the Prince Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry; a regiment founded in 1914. On March 7, 1951, Private William Lapka was severely wounded in action. He would succumb to his injuries on March 15, 1951 and became the first local casualty in the Korean War.
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