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Sponsored for over 70 years by:
The Rotary Club of Oshawa
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Issue 9
Week of Nov. 11, 2012
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Cadets of the Week
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Gliding at Mountainview
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This past weekend over 40 cadets from the Squadron’s new recruit course and the Junior levels had a chance to get airborne at the Air Cadet Leagues Mountainview gliding centre. Although it was rather a chilly day the glider staff were very efficient in getting all of the cadets in the air which was for many their first flight in a glider and perhaps the first time that they had ever been up in an airplane.
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Ready for take off
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Back on the Ground
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Glassy Boot Award
Honourable Members
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F/Cpl Barton, Sgt. Hembruff, Cpl Milne, F/S Bauer, Sgt. Boyden, Sgt. Katzer, Cpl. Hancock, Sgt. Chandler WO2 Smith
Sgt Bliss, Sgt Mogosh, Cpl Hewitt, FCpl Shaw, Sgt. Keller, Cpl Zdebiak
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151 Squadron’s Remembrance Day Ceremony
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It is the custom that each year the Squadron holds its own special Remembrance Day ceremony at the school. This year was no exception as Capt. Weigel reminded the cadets of the many who had given the supreme sacrifice so that we might all enjoy the freedoms that we have today. Following the presentation the Last Post was sounded and the Lament was played by our piper.
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Remembrance Day
Parade to the Cenotaph
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Following the ceremony at the cenotaph the cadets and the band returned to the Armouries for a ceremonial march past. Following dismissal they reformed for a march through downtown Oshawa and then along Centre Street and back down to the Squadron’s headquarters. This was the first time in the Squadron’s long history that they have ever done this and it was rather impressive as they took up the entire width of the street and they were accompanied by no less than six police cruisers.
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Remembrance Day at Extendicare
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It is a Squadron tradition that each year the unit provides a special band concert for the residents of the Extendicare Seniors residence on Park Road and this year was no exception. The Squadron provided a concert that lasted about 45 minutes and it included not only military music but numerous popular selections as well.
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Promotions to Flight Sergeant
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This week we are pleased welcome three new F/Sgts to the senior ranks in the Squadron.
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Graduation Day
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Sgt. Tee-Jay Mallette is presented his graduation certificate for completing the Air Cadet Program.
Sgt Mallette has been a member of the Squadron for many years. We wish him well in all his future endeavours.
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A Message From A Squadron Alumni
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OCdt Sean Keoghan
Royal Military College of Canada
A former senior cadet from 151 Chadburn Squadron
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It may be thanks to Chadburn that I have been able to do so well during my time as an OCdt at RMCC. At RMCC, I have been able to do many great things, including holding the appointment of the Cadet Wing Training Officer – essentially the Sergeant-Major of the entire Cadet Wing, and one of the Top 5 cadet positions at the college of approximately 1078 officer cadets. This November, I also have the privilege of leading a contingent of cadets from RMCC to the City of Toronto annual Remembrance Day Ceremony at Old City Hall. Just yesterday I received my posting message to the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery School at CFB Gagetown for 16 Jan 13. I expect to be promoted to 2Lt around that time, and look forward to completing my time here at the College, and moving forward with my career as an artillery officer.
I hope for continued success of Chadburn, both for its members and its alumni.
Officer Cadet Sean Keoghan, Royal Military College of Canada
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A New Training Aid
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We now have our Microsoft Flight Simulator program up and running at the school on Monday evenings. Currently we are giving level three cadets a chance to learn about aircraft instruments and control surfaces by showing them how to take off and land via a computer.
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Thoughts from the Treadmill
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Poinsettias
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Last week we handed out the order forms for the (now) annual poinsettia sales. Some of you in the gym may have wondered about my comment about my mother being a “poinsettia freak”… just to clarify, I do love my mom, she just really likes poinsettias. I realize that every year will be different, however if the quality and size of last year’s plants is any indication, our supplier (Rekker Gardens), takes great pride in their product, I know I will be filling my mother’s orders through the Squadron program again. The deadline is Monday November 19th for the order forms to be submitted.
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Communication Failure
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At the beginning of the year I made it clear that effective communication was the very reachable goal I had set for the Squadron. Apparently we still have a ways to go to reach this goal. It came to my attention that some people showed up at the Branch 637 Legion on Saturday Nov 10th to sell Poppies. This event was cancelled last week by the Legion and apparently there was a breakdown in the message getting out to all involved. My apologies for the inconvenience this may have caused any of you.
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Remembrance Day and WOW
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The thoughts that didn’t happen on the treadmill, but on the march down Centre Street.
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Today I had the privilege of participating in the annual Oshawa Remembrance Day Parade. I am glad that it fell on a Sunday and that whoever controls the weather decided that today would be warm and sunny. Listening to the various speakers talk about the size of the parade and the crowd at the cenotaph brought a warm feeling. It is good to know that so many of the residents of Oshawa turned out to remember our veterans and active duty military today.
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Marching behind the Squadron doesn’t always give me the best vantage point to see them, however the comments I received from onlookers sure indicated that Chadburn was looking sharp. After our brief stop at the armouries, off we went again to exercise the Freedom of the City that the Squadron was awarded in 1999.
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The wording on the certificate that we were presented back then reads; “The freedom of the City entitles the Squadron to the right, privilege, honour and distinction of marching through the streets of the City on all occasions with flags flying, bayonets fixed and drums beating”.
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Although we don’t have bayonets to fix on our drill purpose rifles, The sun shining on not only the Squadron banner but the National flag and Air Cadet ensign accompanied by the fantastic sound of not only the drums, but the entire Squadron band, it was a great sight to see.
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When the idea was first floated, I thought it sounded cool. I imagined the Squadron using the right lane of Centre Street to march down to the hall to enjoy a post parade BBQ. Looking behind me as we were just past City Hall, taking up the entire road, was quite the sight. Police cruisers ‘protecting our six’, and a line of traffic stretching back quite a distance. I didn’t hear any of the fanfare of horns that I would expect for this unannounced rolling roadblock, and the people that took the time to stop and watch as we went by just proved to me that the people of Oshawa truly do appreciate their Squadron.
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We could not have accomplished this without the assistance of the Durham Regional Police Service Auxiliary Officers who volunteer their time.
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Thanks also to the parents and staff who managed to feed everyone in good time with a feast fit for some hungry marchers.
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Have a great week.
Major Bliss
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Aviation Photo of the Week
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A Mark XIV Spitfire
An Aviation Goldmine
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Today there are only 35 Spitfires still flying in the world. However, there has been for many years, a rumor that a number of Mark XIV Spitfires were buried in Burma at the end of the second world war. It was thought that the aircrafts were abandoned in Burma before they ever took to the air because they were no longer needed with so many Spitfires then flying and the war ending. The exciting news in the aviation world is that Mr. Cundall, a British farmer, had received a tip-off that a number of aircraft were buried at the end of a runway in August 1945. He spent 16 years and over £130,000 of his own money scouring former RAF airfields in Burma for the planes. With a price tag of £1.5 million or more each, Mr Cundall struck the aviation equivalent of a gold mine when he located the planes in February this year, almost 70 years after they were carefully greased and wrapped to preserve them, before being buried in crates. It is estimated that there are at least 60 Spitfires buried and that they are in good condition. If they are salvagable it will be the largest number of Spitfires left anywhere in the world. It is expected that work on digging up the planes will start at the end of October.
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The find is even more valuable because the Spitfires are rare Mark XIV fighters, equipped not with the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin engine but with the more powerful Griffon type.
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Although more than 20,000 Spitfires were built in Britain during the Second World War, only 2,042 later models were powered with Griffon engines and just a handful are still flying today.
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151 Chadburn Squadron
Royal Canadian Air Cadets
*** Excelsior per Debere ***Excellence through Endeavour
Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oshawa