Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-10-11, Page 1414 TIMES—ADVOCATE Wednesday, October 11, 2006 Soldier's medals come home to Exeter By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — It was a long journey, but some of Second Lieutenant Thomas William Penhale has returned home, almost 90 years after he was killed in action in April 1917 while serving with the King's Royal Rifle Corps at the battle of Arras in the First World War. Penhale, who died April 15 after being wounded April 11, was buried at the Etaples Military Cemetery in France. But it wasn't until this year that the medals he earned have been brought to South Huron District High School (SHDHS), after being purchased on eBay. SHDHS history teacher Dave MacLeod was contacted May 18 by former South Huron student Richard Laughton, who said medals and documents belonging to Penhale were being auctioned on the website. MacLeod, who has been active in the school's Remembrance Day observances, said he recognized the name and significance of Penhale and felt it was important to recover the articles. Over the Victoria Day weekend, MacLeod made a series of emails and phone calls through the school and community asking for donations to buy the arti- cles. By the evening of May 23, MacLeod received a mes- sage from Laughton saying the South Huron bid had been successful. MacLeod said a display case is being built for the medals at the school and the response from the staff and students has been wonderful. "They are very enthusiastic and truly care about this project," said MacLeod. Penhale was born in Stephen Township May 11, 1893. After attending Exeter High School at the age of 22 he enlisted with the 32nd Battalion of the Canadian Over -seas Expeditionary Force April 17, 1916. By December 1916, Penhale was in the trenches in France where he spent Christmas. As well as recovering the medals, MacLeod has also created a 'Book of remembrance' web page on the SHDHS website, dedicated to the former students of the school who have died in the service of Canada. MacLeod said he created the webpage because he wanted to connect names of servicemen killed with their paintings that hang at the Exeter Legion. The site has been well received, according to MacLeod, with Veterans Affairs Canada compliment- ing it. The items recovered by the school include Penhale's identity disk, an memorial brooch awarded to Penhale's mother, Hannah, from the International Order of Allied Mothers in Sacrifice, the Memorial Cross and the British War Medal. MacLeod said the broach given to Hannah is rare and he has only been able to find two other such broaches like it on the Internet. He added that the Memorial Cross, which was origi- nally awarded to mothers and widows of Canadian soldiers killed in action, was for the first time, pre- sented to a husband, when Nichola Goddard was killed in Afghanistan in May. MacLeod has also obtained several replicas of medals from the Royal Canadian Regiment museum in London that will be displayed along with Penhale's medals. MacLeod said he hopes to make students more aware of "the language of medals. "Forty-five years ago, everyone knew what they meant, no one does now...I bought the reproductions to help understand the sacrifice of earning medals." MacLeod said the experience has been a "real eye opener about our for- mer students. It's amazing where guys from Exeter went and what they did." When the medals came up for auc- tion, MacLeod said it was an automat- ic reaction to buy them to preserve history. "There's noth- ing like it to get kids interested." He added if anyone has arti- facts they would be interested in donating, they can call the school. "We're more than happy to take them." It will be a busy year for MacLeod who, along with SHDHS teacher Tracy McLennan will be leading a school trip to Europe in April. MacLeod said the tour from April 3-12 will visit England, France and Belgium. While in England, the group will visit the Imperial Medals —The medals awarded to Second LieutenantThomas Penhale, who grew up in Exeter and was killed serving in the FirstWorld War, were recent- ly bought off eBay by South Huron District High School teacher Dave MacLeod and will be displayed at the school. (photo/submitted) War Museum and the Churchill Museum in London as well as Stonehenge and Portsmouth. The group will also visit Normandy, Ypres in Belgium and Dieppe before arriving in Vimy for the re -dedication ceremonies of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Another stop on the tour will be a visit to the Etaples Cemetery where Penhale is buried before ending with a visit to Paris. During the summer, MacLeod said he visited the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa researching docu- ments about Penhale's service and that it was an emo- tional experience seeing the signature of Penhale. "History is about ordinary people doing extraordi- nary things," said MacLeod. DREW ROBERTSON DEPUTY MAYOR SOUTH HURON Protect Your Pet and Your Family, $25 Low Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinics Blyth Veterinary Services Queen Street South, Blyth October 28'" 9 am -1 pm St. Helen's Community Hall October 26'" 1 pm - 4 pm Clinton Veterinary Services 275 Huron Street, Clinton October 28" 9 am -12 pm Exeter Animal Hospital 660 Main Street, Exeter October 28" 9 am -12 pm Seaforth Veterinary Clinic Main Street North, Seaforth October 28" 9 am -1 pm Thames Road Veterinary Clinic 74 Thames Road West, Exeter October 14" 9 am -1 pm South Huron Veterinary Clinic 20 Main Street, Zurich October 28'" 9 am -12 pm • • For dogs and cats over 3 months of age. • • Please have your pets on leashes or in carrying cages. • • These low cost clinics provide Rabies Vaccination only. • • No other treatment will be available. Sponsored by Huron County Health Unit and the above Huron County Veterinary Clinics. Help control the spread of rabies virus. I$' J Gaiser Kneale um Insurance Brokers Inc. ANNOUNCEMENT Jon Gaiser, of Gaiser Kneale Insurance Brokers Inc., would like to take this opportunity to welcome... Kelly O'Leary, our newest Broker to the Clinton office, specializing in Agricultural and Commercial Insurance. Please call Kelly for any of your insurance needs at 1-888-482-9747 gkins@cabletv.on.ca 44 Ontario St., CLINTON 519-482-3401 THE CONSERVATION ZONE Energy efficiency IPeter Love Chief Energy Conservation Officer of Ontario Get the right tools for the job Crisp mornings, foggy windshields, falling leaves - and the job jar. Fall has definitely arrived! In the coming weeks, you'll probably find yourself fixing leaky faucets, install- ing weather-stripping, raking leaves, or putting a fresh coat of paint in the living room. And this likely means a trip to the store to pick up the right tool for the job. As Ontario's Chief Energy Conserva- tion onservestion Officer, I'd like to see each Ontario household add one more job to the jar this fall: improving your home's energy efficiency. The Ontario Power Authority and your local electricity company will help you choose the right tools. Since households use electricity differently, the right tools for your household might not be the best ones for your neighbour. The Every Kilowatt Counts energy sav- ings campaign will provide all Ontario households with information and coupons redeemable at more than 3,000 stores across the province to put the right tools in your hands to control your electricity use. Watch for the Every Kilowatt Counts brochure in the mail. It contains more than $35 in savings on these energy efficiency tools: ENERGY STAR® qualified Compact Fluorescent Lights Bulbs consume 75 % less electricity than regular incandescent bulbs. A typical house has 30 light bulbs that together consume about $200 in electricity each year. Replacing five incandescent bulbs with CELS will save around $30 each year. Seasonal LED lights use 95% less energy than standard mini -lights: a 70 -light string of incandescent bulbs costs $7.70 over 200 hours while an LED string costs just 8 cents! Dimmer switches set the mood, help you use less electricity and extend the life of your bulbs. Programmable Thermostats allow you to program your furnace to warm the house when you arrive home for the evening, and set back to a cooler temperature when you're asleep or away. 20° Celsius is comfort- able omfortable for when you're home and 18° Celsius when you're asleep or away. And they work with yourA/C in the summer, too! Baseboard Programmable Thermostats work for homes, condos or apartments that have electric baseboard heaters. Motion detectors give you the convenience of having the lights turn on automatically when you walk into a room or up to the front porch and shut off when you leave. Great for rooms where the kids play - no more nagging to get them to turn out the lights! Every kilowatt really does count. Choosing the products that are right for your home could save you up to 10 per cent on your electricity bill and will help Ontario meet its energy supply challenge. For more information, call 1-866-859-9898 or visit www.conservationbureau.on.ca Re -Elect Pau/ I(/opp Deputy -Mayor He WORKS for Bluewater!