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This article first appeared in the November 16, 2022 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 hosts pensive Remembrance Day ceremony
By Hannah Sabourin
At the Chelsea Pioneer Cemetery, soldiers stood at a fallen soldier's tomb on Nov. 11. They bowed their heads and rested the tips of their guns on their toes. Surrounding the soldiers stood hundreds of Gatineau Hills locals, who stood among the tombs of fallen soldiers to honour their sacrifices during this past Remembrance Day ceremony.
Cybèle Wilson, Chelsea's Ward 3 Coun. and a senior advisor to the chief of military personnel at the National Defense led the ceremony.
Chelsea Mayor Pierre Guénard and Harold Milks - the brother of a bomber with the Royal Canadian Air Force, Erle Milks, who died during the Second World War - walked up the hill to place a wreath at the cemetery's cenotaph on behalf of the municipality.
At the end of the ceremony, 16 local leaders placed wreaths by the grave of Private Richard Rowland Thompson. Gatineau MNA Robert Bussière, Pontiac MNA Sophie Chatel, and Cantley Mayor David Gomes placed wreaths at the foot of the soldier's tomb.
Private Thompson is the only soldier in Canada's history to receive the Queen's Scarf of Honour. For his acts of heroism during the Boer War from 1899-1902, the British Monarchy awarded him a scarf crocheted by Queen Victoria. In total, she made eight scarves to honour acts of military bravery. Thompson was awarded the scarf at the start of the 20th century.
Those who took part in the ceremony emphasized their love of freedom and peace.
of freedom and peace. The Chelsea Youth Choir, led by Stephanie Sewell, accompanied Ian Tamblyn in "Soldier Down." The choir later performed "Amani," also known as "A Song for Peace,"and "Dona Nobis Pacem," which is Latin for "grant us peace."