HomeMy WebLinkAboutFrom south Ottawa to Vimy: Cadets prepare for battlefield tour in anniversary year - Ottawa South News - 02/06/2017 - Ottawa South News - 02/06/2017Ottawa South News I Feb 06, 2017
An overseas trip during a milestone anniversary will make history buffs out of
18 kids, many of them from south Ottawa, if they aren't already by now.
"Once in a lifetime," Master Cpl. Matthew Bates, 15, said of his 2951 CFS
Leitrim Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps' plan to travel to Europe for
Remembrance Day ceremonies in November. The tour of First and Second
World War battlefields will include stops at Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Juno
Beach and Normandy.
When the group heads abroad Nov. 6 to 15, it will be the farthest Matthew has
ever travelled, and he intends to make the most of it.
"We're going to be at Vimy on Remembrance Day, so it's pretty exciting," said
the Grade 9 student at Osgoode Township High School.
Eighteen youth with the 2951 CFS Leitrim Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps,
whose members come from south Ottawa and surrounding communities, are
in the midstof fundraising ahead of their epic trip to Europe in November.
One of the highlights will be taking part in Remembrance Day ceremonies at
Vimy Ridge, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge
during the First World War.
The idea for the trip emerged three years ago. The initial thought was to travel
there earlier, but the decision was made to time the trip with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Since then, 18 kids from the 30 -member unit have signed up, as well as four cadet corps staff members and about a dozen
parents. The unit, which meets regularly at CFS Leitrim, is made up of kids from several south Ottawa communities, including
Osgoode, Metcalfe, Vernon, Edwards and east Cumberland, as well as Winchester and Russell.
Fundraising efforts have ramped up over the past year, and the unit is now gearing up for a long list of events to hit its goal of
$55,000 to $65,000, to offset the cost of the trip for the kids. The adults are required to pay their own way.
"Fundraising is keeping us hopping for the next six or seven months," said Kim Sheldrick, Matthew's mom and the unit's
public relations rep.
The unit is working with a number of community partners to raise money, including the Osgoode and Kemptville legion
branches, as well as other area groups and businesses.
The young cadets, who range in age from 12 to 18, have already discovered that the fundraising requires significant
commitment and planning.
"On top of all of these events, we still have our regular corps training and regular fundraisers and their weekend field training
exercises," said Sheldrick, who is co-chair of the unit's Vimy fundraising committee. "So it's a lot on these kids for the next
little while."
Even with all that on their plate, excitement is really building. And it's no wonder, given the tour highlights they have to look
forward to.
The battlefield tour includes a visit to the Juno Beach battle site and a stop at the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery,
where many Canadian soldiers were laid to rest after their lives were claimed in the early stages of the Battle of Normandy.
The tour also features a trip to the In Flanders Field Museum, tunnels and trenches in the Vimy region and stops to a
deportation centre and a Jewish museum.
"One of our first stops is in Amsterdam. We're going to visit Anne Frank House," said Sheldrick, adding that each stop will be
sure to leave a lasting impression on the teens and preteens.
"It's going to be memorable and busy. Life experience — sometimes it trumps classrooms."
To link the trip with a local connection, the unit's commanding officer has requested that each participating cadet research a
local resident who was killed in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
"Then when we're over there, we're going to try and find their names and do pencil rubbings of their names (on gravestones)
at Vimy," said Sheldrick.
That is designed to foster a deeper appreciation for the wartime sacrifices made by local residents.
"If you've researched, you might find out that their great grandchild is a friend of yours. Then it gives it a more personal
connection, that it's not just a name on a monument," Sheldrick said. "It's a real person with parents and possibly a spouse
and kids. It brings it more to life."
For more details about the unit's upcoming fundraisers, visit facebook.com/2951ArmyCadets . The unit is also on twitter
@2951ArmyCadets .
A LOOK AHEAD:
• Trivia Night at Hylands Golf Club: March 25
• Dance at the Winchester Legion branch: April 8
• Spaghetti dinner in Vernon: May 4
• Car wash at the Metcalfe fire station: May 13
• Garage sale day in Vernon: June 3
• Canteen at a Metcalfe baseball tournament: Aug. 25-26
Erin McCracken is a reporter/photographer with Metroland Media's Ottawa South News. She can be reached at
erin.mccracken@metroland.com . Follow her on Twitter and Facebook .
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