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Ceremony to honour Vimy’s fallen
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (Apr. 5-17, 1917), a group of local history buffs have organized a memorial service for April 9 in Chatham at Christ Church. Jerry Hind, a local historian and curator of the Gathering Our Heroes project, said the idea was to not let the occasion pass in Chatham-Kent without acknowledging the service and sacrifice of our veterans and those who lost their lives at Vimy during the First World War. “I felt it needed to be recognized,” Hind said, who works with the IODE and the Books of Remembrance they compiled of area men and women in service. “In 1914, there was only one IODE in Chatham-Kent and they looked after sending treats, clothes and socks overseas in 1914-15.” Hind said other branches began after that, but not all kept records of local
batteryboy.ca
THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017
Vol. 5 Edition 15
By Mary Beth Corcoran mary@chathamvoice.com
131 Park Ave. E., Chatham 519-354-4127
service people, which led to the search for the names of those who served and those who died. He said when the names of people who served were read out, 1,700 names from Chatham were on the list, but 157 men from the former Kent County were left out. In 2004, after he retired, Hind said he wanted to do something and came across diaries from a man from Ridgetown, who in 1903 wrote about getting a Bernardo child from England to help work on the farm. That child ended up in Chatham in a boarding house with six other “home boys” as they were referred to, and four of those he found out were killed in the First World War. Hind explained that is how he got into researching the world wars. Between the IODE records and Chatham-Kent Museum, Hind was able to find 157 names and since then, in partnering with them, has found 12,170 names of First and Second World War veterans. Continued on page 2
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Bowling with Ninja Turtles
Mary Beth Corcoran/The Chatham Voice
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chatham-Kent Bowl for Kids’ Sake took over Bowlerama in Chatham this weekend with lots of happy bowlers and superheroes. The two-day event is one of the charity’s big fundraisers to raise money for programs. Taking part during the celebrity portion of the bowl-a-thon was a team of Chatham-Kent Professional Fire Fighters dressed as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and thier sensei, Splinter. From left are Tyler Hartsell, Jon Benoit, Whitney Burk, Derek Buchanan and Ian Warren.
Local teen off to Vimy
By Bruce Corcoran bruce@chathamvoice.com
Wallaceburg’s Raymond Yang is one of just 17 Canadian students to receive a Vimy Pilgrimage Award this year, meaning he’s on his way to France to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Yang, 17, is a student at Wallaceburg District Secondary School. The Vimy Pilgrimage Award consists of a fully funded, week-long educational program in France and Belgium to study Canada’s effort in the First World War. Yang will be out of the country
from April 7-16. The program will feature interactive education and visits to significant First World War battlefields, cemeteries, and memorials including the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Yang and his 16 fellow students were chosen
from a list of hundreds of applicants. The Vimy Foundation recognizes the actions of young people who demonstrate outstanding service, positive contributions, and leadership in their communities. Yang has a busy life outside of the classroom.
Continued on page 3
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