June 11, at the Old Holy Trinity Anglican Church Cemetery, members of a 14 Wing Greenwood honour guard placed a single red rose on each of 27 graves of Commonwealth airmen who gave their lives while serving at Royal Air Force Station Greenwood, as part of the Second World War British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
The decoration of the graves ceremony, held on the second Sunday of June, is an 81-year-old tradition started May 12, 1942, by the IODE Rosemary Chapter in Middleton, after members received a letter from the mother of Aircraftman 2nd Class Ivor George Badham. Annie Badham asked the women of IODE Rosemary to look after her deceased son’s grave. Touched by the request, IODE Rosemary’s dedicated team of volunteers cared for Aircraftman 2nd Class Badham and the other airmen’s graves until Middleton’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 1 took responsibility for the service in the 1960s, when the women were no longer physically able to do so. Since then, IODE Rosemary members have participated in the ceremony as honoured guests.
This year, Legion President Andrew Bent invited Shelley Reycraft, IODE Nova Scotia’s education officer, to attend the ceremony on behalf of the recently disbanded Rosemary Chapter.
“We disbanded December 31, 2022, after 103 years of service to our community,” Reycraft said. “We were the only chapter left in the Valley for several years. It was hard for us to decide the time had come to close our chapter. I had been the president for four years.”
During its operations, the chapter’s members were the embodiment of the organization’s acronym, “Inclusive, Organized, Dedicated, Enthusiastic.” The chapter started in 1919 to assist in the First World War effort, tirelessly providing clothing and bandages not only for the soldiers, but also for families in England whose homes had been bombed.
“Because the mothers put in long hours making articles for the men fighting, it was said that children were left parentless. The grandparents or neighbours looked after the children.”
Today, the same spirited dedication is demonstrated by Middleton Legion members, whose efforts have ensured the ceremony has never been missed – even during COVID-19 restrictions. Reycraft thanked Legion members “for continuing on the wonderful care of these graves and organizing this ceremony.”
14 Wing Greenwood’s Lieutenant-Colonel Lara Jennings, commanding officer of 14 Operations Support Squadron, and Wing Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Proulx; Middleton Mayor Sylvester Atkinson and a number of other local organizations were represented in the wreath-laying memorial service. The 12 wreaths placed at the foot of the Old Trinity Anglican Church Cemetery cenotaph stand as a testament to this community’s heritage both of care for these departed airmen and their families, and support of one another.
