1968-1971
Tri-Service Cadet Tattoo Corps gun crew, with the band in the background practice for the annual Tri-Service Cadet Tattoo. |
Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces was to bring a change in the status of the sea cadet officers in 1968. Effective on the first day of January the officers were integrated more closely with the naval reserve. This change however, was to have little effect at the corps level. The officers, though supervised by the armed forces, were still responsible to the Navy League of Canada for their jurisdiction over the sea cadets.
During 1968 and 1969 a third sea cadet corps and a Navy League wrennette corps were formed in Winnipeg. R.C.S.C.C. Qu'Appelle, under the command of Lt. Cdr. W.A. Somerville, commenced parading at H.M.C.S. Chippawa on Monday evenings. They were later to share their evening and facilities with the N.L.W.C. Centennial. This brought to five the number of Navy League sponsored youth organizations operating out of H.M.C.S. Chippawa comprising over 1000 cadets.
R.C.S.C.C. Qu'Appelle and N.L.W.C. Centennial use the barracks on Monday evenings; R.C.S.C.C. Crusader on Wednesday evening; R.C.S.C.C. John Travers Cornwell V.C. on Thursday evenings and N.L.C.C. J.R.K. Millen on Friday evenings. H.M.C.S. Chippawa is reserved for the naval reserve on Tuesday evenings while the barracks is open for cadet and reserve activities during the weekends.
Throughout this period the corps maintained an enrollment of 225 cadets supervised by fifteen officers. The winter training period, as had been the case since 1920, was restricted to indoor activities. However, the corps was fortunate to have the advantage of the expanded summer training opportunities provided at H.M.C.S. Quadra on Vancouver Island.
With the withdrawal of regular force personnel from the staff at H.M.C.S. Quadra, a great deal of their functions were filled by sea cadets and their officers. As a result many of the senior cadets and younger officers from the corps were able to spend the summer months in various training capacities.
Lt. Cdr. R. Graham's three year term as commanding officer expired in May of 1969 and he was succeeded by Lt. Cdr. R. Weidenbacker. Lt. Cdr. Weidenbacker had been a cadet in the late 1950' s and had returned to the corps as an officer in 1961. At the ceremony marking the change in command Lt. Cdr. Graham expressed his regret at leaving the corps, but he said, he felt confident that the new commanding officer would carryon the corps tradition.
The photographs for 1968 to 1971 were provided by R.C.S.C.C. John Travers Cornwell V.C. and Mr. W.F. Sutherland of Winnipeg.
Pages 92-93