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Clinton News Record, 2016-11-02, Page 5Wednesday, November 2, 2016 • News Record 5 Brothers in Arms: Ray and David Cantelon, M.M. he first notice that David and Mary Can- telon received that their young- est son, David, had been killed in action, was a phone call from their daughter, Pearl Weather - wax, onMay 29, 1917. Weatherwaxhad received two letters written by her broth- er's 'pals' dated May llth offer- ing condolences to the fam- ily. The Militia Department had notyetreceived official word of David's death when contacted by the elder Cante- lon, but there was little doubt that the grim news was true. Private David Adam Cante- lonwas bom in Clinton on August 10,1918. He was the youngest son of Mary and David Cantelon who was a suc- cessful livestock and frit farmer known as'the Apple King' of Canada. The family were devout Wesleyan Meth- odists and, as Celtic Protes- tants, were members of the Loyal Orange Lodge. Theywere also respected pil- lars of the local commu- nity. His father, David Sr., took an interest in political affairs serving as county commis- sioner for five years, Clinton Reeve for another five years, and, in 1914, Cantelon became Huron CountyWarden. The patriotic spirit ran in the family. In 1901, David Jr's oldest brother, William, served in the Boer War with the 4th Cana- dian Mounted Rifles. Whenthe Great War broke out in August 1914, David was a student at the Clinton Collegiate Institute and too young to serve. How- evei like manyyoung men of his generation, he was eager to get into the fight. On February 8, 1916, not quite 18, David Cantelon enlisted in the 157th battalion Huron History Dave Yates (Simcoe County) by adding a year onto his birthdate. He had beenworking as a clerk in Oril- lia and living with his sister, Pearl Weatherwax, when he volunteered. David's decision to volunteer may have motivated an older brother, HarryRayCantelon, to join as well. Born in 1893, Ray Cantelon was a 'brilliant' student at Clin- ton Collegiate. He went to Sas- katchewan to live with his brother, William. Ray Cantelon taught school brieflybefore attending the University of Sas- katchewan. He was a cadet in the university's officer training corps but interrupted his stud- ies in March 1916 to enlist as a private in the elite Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. One week after arriving in England in November, 1916, Private David Cantelonwas one of a draft of 100 replace- ments for the 1st (westem Ontario) battalion. (A cousin, Homer Cantelon, had already been killed on May 22, 1916 serving with the 1st battalion). According to the 'Clinton New - Era,' Cantelonwas right `in the thick of it' from the moment of his arrival in the trenches. He seemed to be a happy warrior as one of his 'chums' wrote that he 'was gay as a lark as was his nature all the time: Brother, Ray Cantelon, had already preceded him to the front. Ray was gassed in early 1917, invalided home in March and medically dis- charged. Ray Cantelon was a bit of a local curiosity. The 'New -Era' said that he was the 'first Clinton boy to return who has been in the firing line.' David Cantelon's battalion was one of the units that stormed Vimy Ridge on the morning of April 9, 1917. The capture of the Ridge, the high- est point on the westem front and thought to be impregna- ble, was a seminal moment in Canadian history. The Ger- mans, desperate to re -take the Ridge, launched several heavy counterattacks against the Canadian positions. Pri- vate David Cantelon's com- pany was cut off in a 'forward position which was difficult to hold' according to the 'News - Record's account of the action. When the company sergeant major asked for vol- unteers to run a message requesting reinforcements, Cantelon stepped forward and successfully performed the 'perilous task.' He retumed under heavy fire with reinforcements which 'saved his company' from being overrun. The local papers called Cantelon's actions 'heroic: For his 'conspicuous bravery' at Vimy Ridge, Private Cante- lon was awarded the Military Medal. Yet, before Cantelon knew he had won one of the British Empire's highest awards for valour, he was killed by shellfire at the Battle of Fresnoy on May 3, 1917. His parents did not learn of his death until their daughter received letters from his com- rades' letters on May 29, 1917. Private G.N. Black wrote that he had seen 'Dave' just hours before their last attack and 'as One of the ceramic poppies in the Goderich Square. usual our talk was of those at home. He showed me a pic- ture of his brother [Ray] which he had cut out of the paper he had just received a couple of days before.' Black said Cantelon's 'thoughts were continually with loved ones at home.' Another letter signed `Roy D and his (Dave's) pals' said 'he did his bit and died a hero.' David Cantelon was reported missing in action. It was not until July 1917 that he was officially declared killed. At what the 'New Era' called 'an impressive patriotic service' at Clinton's Wesleyan Church on February 24, 1918, Major Broder McTaggart, DSO, presented his father with his son's Military Medal (wounded four times already, Major McTaggart returned to the front where he was killed in September 1918). The Great War's end in November 1918 did not spare the Cantelons more grief. David's brother, Ray Cante- lon, who had been dis- charged as unfit in 1917, had spent nearly a year in hospital recovering from the effects of gas. Despite ill -health, Ray Cantelon continued his stud- ies and earned his degree. He re-enlisted in March 1918 but never a 'robust' man, his health gave out. His father arrived at his bedside when Ray died from tuberculosis on December 7, 1918 in a mili- tary hospital at Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatche- wan. His remains were retumed to Clinton where he was buried with full military honours. Few families were to expe- rience the suffering and sor- rows of the Great War more than David and Mary Ann Cantelon. Mary Ann Cante- lon died in 1929. David Can- telon Sr died at the age of 91 in 1940. For both Cantelon's, it was reported that the loss of two sons in the Great War weighed the most heavily upon them until the end of their lives. Offshore wind plan in Lake Erie criticized internationally John Miner Postmedia Network The fight to keep industrial wind turbines out of Lake Erie has become an international effort. Environmental groups from Spain, France and the United Kingdom have now joined North American organiza- tions in opposing a plan to build a pilot wind farm in western Lake Erie, near the Ohio shore, along the U.S. side of the border. "I really feel there is a good chance of stopping it. Public outrage can do this," said Sherri Lange, chief executive of North American Platform Against Wind Power, a Toronto-based coalition opposing wind farm development. Known as the Icebreaker Project, the wind farm pro- posed for Lake Erie near Cleveland would involve the installation of six turbines to test the feasibility of building larger wind farms in the lake. It would be the first industrial wind farm in a fresh water lake in North America. Ontario, meanwhile, has kept a moratorium slapped in place on offshore wind farms in the Great Lakes along its borders with the waterways. Proponents have described Lake Erie as the Saudi Arabia of wind energy, with the potential for more than 1,000 wind turbines. But the project has sparked intense opposition from a broad range of environmental groups who say the offshore turbines will disrupt migra- tion routes for birds and bats, damage marine life and pose a pollution hazard. Lange said she and others thought the Icebreaker Project had been defeated in 2014 after U.S. state officials cited a string of deficiencies, but then the project was given a $40 -million grant earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Energy. David Karpinski, vice presi- dent of operations for Leedco, the wind farm developer, said the project is continuing to move forward to gain the nec- essary government approvals. "We are continuing to build momentum," he said. "The detailed engineering is com- pleted and we are moving into the commercial relationships for contractors to source and build what we need here." The current plan is to start construction the summer of 2018, Karpinski said. Last week, the Ontario gov- ernment said it has no plans to lift its moratorium on Great Lakes wind -farm development that had been imposed five years ago. Industrial wind farms, with their highrise-sized turbines, have been deeply polarizing in Ontario, especially in the prov- ince's southwest that is home to the largest wind farms and the most number of turbines. Some communities have declared themselves "unwilling hosts" for the projects, which Ontario's Liberal government embraced with its green -energy law in 2009 as it took away local con- trol over where the projects can be built. Announced in the run-up to a provincial election, the Ontario government originally justified its moratorium on off- shore wind development on the grounds there wasn't enough scientific information on the potential impact of the turbines in the lakes.