A Day of Remembrance & Cadet Vigil

Cadets is the longest-standing tradition at Ridley College. The history of the Corps is symbolized in the walls of the Memorial Chapel, the WWII Memorial Wall, the Cannon, The Flag, and The Great Hall. 

The Cadet Corps at Ridley College dates back well before 1907. At that time Colonel Thairs was the first commanding officer and he worked hard to establish a solid program that would mould the Ridley students into future leaders, and active and responsible members of their communities.

On November 11th each year, Ridley College and Canadians from across the country stand in collective Remembrance of all who have fallen in the military service of their country. Ridley College honours and remembers the 141 former students who gave their lives for our freedom in World War 1 & 2, and all those who have served and continue to serve and protect our Country and others. 

This year our Cadets took remembrance one step further by creating the “Circle of Remembrance” which consisted of 141 white crosses that bear the name and photo of each “old boy” who gave the ultimate sacrifice in World War 1 and World War 2. The crosses remained on display during the week of remembrance (November 1-11) for all to take a moment and reflect on what we have today because of their sacrifice.

 The Circle of Remembrance was a new initiative that will remain in place for many more years to come. However, our Cadets wanted to do more, and in fact they did. The first-ever overnight Vigil was conducted at the World War Two Memorial Wall where we saw Cadets rotate through shifts overnight standing guard into the next day in preparation for our chapel services. 

These small but meaningful contributions were our Cadets' way of showing others that we can make an impact while taking the time to reflect, give back, never forget what happened, and do our best to keep the memories alive for many more generations to come.

Terar Dum Prosim

162 Ridley College Cadets