News
September 20th 2019
Cadet goes the extra mile to help remember his town’s fallen soldiers
The Cadets paying their respects after cleaning the graves
A Cadet from Sleaford noticed the poor state of many of his local cemetery’s Commonwealth war graves and decided to arrange for his detachment to spend a day helping bring them up to the standard they deserve.
Cadet Lance Corporal Joseph Hughes thought that his detachment could honour those who had made the ultimate sacrifice by helping to clean their graves and then hold a short memorial service at the end of the day.
The Cadets cleaned the graves with soft brushes and water to not cause damage
Joseph said: “We all felt that every Commonwealth war grave deserves to be respected – even in our smaller villages. After all, the fallen sacrificed the same as those buried in the larger CWG cemeteries.
“We worked hard on the graves but it was worth it and the ceremony at the end of the day was very moving.”
In order to get the job done Joseph enlisted the help of his friends from his Detachment.
He explained: “When approval to complete the cleanup was obtained, I didn’t have to rally up support as others had already volunteered to assist in this good cause.”
After the local council gave Joseph permission, the cadets were at the cemetery for several hours cleaning the gravestones and the surrounding area. A special presentation is planned for later in the year.
Members are encouraged to help support their local community in whatever ways they can and Joseph felt this would be the most appropriate way of both giving back to his local town and remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Find out how you can join the Army Cadet Force at www.armycadets.com
“We worked hard on the graves but it was worth it and the ceremony at the end of the day was very moving.”
