Members of Guelph's 121 Red Arrows Air Cadet Squadron are on their way to Normandy, France, to visit Juno Beach, the site of the Canadian D-Day landing.
Eight cadets ages 12 to 18 along with three staff members will participate in the 75th anniversary ceremony on June 6, along with an expected 30,000 people in attendance.
“We will be remembering a number of Guelph soldiers from 12th Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery that drew soldiers from the Guelph and Fergus area who are buried at Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery,” said commanding officer major Steve Harwood.
The 12th Field Regiment was a sister regiment of Guelph’s own 11th Regiment. Out of 2,048 headstones in the cemetery south of Juno Beach, 2044 belong to Candian soldiers and airmen. The remaining four belong to French and British soldiers.
“This is arguably the last time any veterans will be there,” said Harwood.
“To be a world war veteran now, you need to be between 93 to 98. If you're under 93, you're probably under age (to have been in the war). It’s going to be one of the last commemorations.”
The 1944 Battle of Normandy is known to be one of the focal points of the Second World War to free Western Europe from Nazi occupation in which 5,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives.
To pay respect and remember those lost in the battle, Harwood said that each cadet will carry the name of a soldier or an airman buried in the Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian war cemetery, complete research on their military records and birthplace and present their findings in front of the squadron.
As the young cadets prepared to embark on their journey, they spoke about the enormous pride they felt being able to visit a site that holds tremendous significance in Canadian history.
“It’s a great honour,” said Zachary Taylor to be able to represent Canada on a global stage. “It is a great opportunity for us to just go visit.”
The squadron has been fundraising at their own cost for the past year in order to go on this memorable visit where they will stop in London and meet their sister squadron.
With 179 activities throughout the year that include pipe and drum training, fundraising, parading, effective speaking, radio-controlled aircraft and participating in ground school to learn principles of flight for half the year, Harwood said the cadets are able to learn discipline at an early age that enables them to successfully continue training.
Harwood said almost all the cadets will be participating in summer training to either be a pilot or teacher.
Harwood said some of the best things he hears is from the cadets’ parents when they tell him “my son is polishing his boots all night long. He’s ironing his pants.”
He said the discipline shapes them and teaches them responsibility at a young age.
