Low Down Articles
GVHS Related
Article 28 of 49
This article first appeared in the November 11, 2012 issue of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
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Chelsea honours the heroes who fell in combat
by Trevor Greenway
More than 300 people marched solemnly into the Chelsea Pioneer Cemetery on Nov. 11 just as they did in years past to pay tribute to fallen soldiers of war
They followed the lane toward the cenotaph and moved toward the grave of Pte. Richard Rowland Thompson, the only Canadian recipient of the prestigious Queen's Scarf
They formed a circle around the grave before locating favoured positions around the cemetery - their faces cold, bare and stoic. Most wore dark winter jackets, with bright red poppies pinned to their lapels. There they stood quiet and motionless against a chilly backdrop of towering trees.
Soldiers from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa trooped in to form a circle around Thompson's grave. They stood motionless as the day's speakers, including Gatineau Valley Historical Society (GVHS) President Marc Cockburn and Chelsea Mayor Caryl Green, addressed the gathering.
After Pontiac MP Mathieu Ravignat and several other area dignitaries laid wreaths at the base of the gravesite, the cemetery fell still for the moment of silence. All that was heard was the low hiss of the wind blowing through the trees or the odd sniffle from the crowd.
Students from Chelsea Elementary School sang their song, "We are the Lucky Ones," before Green read the late Doug Cowden's poem, "It Is Just A Piece Of Cloth."
As the GVHS ceremony came to a close, the dozens of soldiers kneeled by Thompson's grave and laid down their poppies. Some took just seconds, but others closed their eyes as if they were saying thank you in the privacy of their mind. Some had tears in their eyes while others hugged fellow soldiers. Another year passed, another host of sacrifices remembered.
