The provincial government wants to honour Manitobans who lost their lives during the First World War — but first it needs to find the names of those soldiers.

"Although we have a list of 1,092 confirmed Manitoba casualties of the First World War, we know there were many more," said Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Tom Nevakshonoff.

It is believed as many as 7,000 men and women from Manitoba lost their lives while serving Canada in the Great War. However, there are few reliable records, as soldiers were often transferred between regiments and some records were lost, said a news release from the province.

The government is calling on the public to help identify those fallen heroes so it can name geographical features after them. Andrew Swan, Manitoba's special envoy for military affairs, said the project will honour soldiers "in a way that also celebrates the land they fought [for] and died to protect.

Manitoba currently has more than 4,200 lakes, islands, bays and other geographical features named after fallen soldiers who served from the Second World War to the present day.

The effort to extend the same honour to those who served in the First World War began with the naming of Sidney Halliday Lake in Duck Mountain Provincial Park after Pte. Sidney Halliday.

To add the name of a soldier lost during the First World War, members of the public can contact the Manitoba Geographical Names Program of Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship at 204-945-6680 or visit the Manitoba Geographical Names Program website.