Southwold Township history comes alive again this spring with a collection of one-act plays and original songs presented at the Keystone Complex in Shedden.
Entitled Snapshots, the production focuses on the Second World War and the RCAF Bombing and Gunnery School near Fingal.
Written by Len Cuthbert, one of the plays mirrors the philosophy of long-time area resident Lorne Spicer, one of the founders of the Rosy Rhubarb Festival, a member of the Elgin Stewardship Council and the St. Thomas Field Naturalists.
He believed life is the train, not the station which is the title of one of the productions, notes Cuthbert.
“One involves several different people who either worked there, trained there or had some kind of connection to it.
“Another focuses on Lorne Spicer and the connection between him and someone else who had a great, great grandfather who died there.”
We spoke with Spicer back in December of 2017, at which time he recounted altering his birth certificate in March 1943 – he was not yet 16 at the time – to sign up with the RCAF. You can read that item here.
He was a member of 426 Squadron and eventually stationed at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, England.
He trained as a navigator and flew seven missions over Germany aboard a Halifax bomber.
He smiled when he boasted, “I was the only one on the plane who could tell the pilot where to go.”
In September 2017, the RCAF sent a plane to London to pick up Spicer for a 426 squadron reunion at CFB Trenton. He was one of the last living members of those Second World War bombing runs and he was honoured with a commemorative medal.
The residents of Shedden said goodbye to a good one as Lorne Spicer died on March 24, 2019, at the age of 92 at London’s Parkwood Institute.
April 1 of this year marks 100 years of service for the Royal Canadian Air Force as a distinct military element.
Fingal was the home of RCAF No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School and Snapshots honours the facility and some of the area residents.
Cuthbert talks about another of the productions, Aces Don’t Lie.
“It starts off following the story of Franklin Small, who lived in Shedden and met this girl and it sort of follows their lives.
“And, in the meantime, I tracked down their daughter who is in Victoria and got some history from her.”
While the Second World War brought some people together, it sent Franklin and Helen in opposite directions, one to the other side of the country, and one to the other side of the world.
The wreckage of the DC-3 at the Howe family farm on Third Line, east of Lawrence Station. Photo courtesy of the Elgin County Archives
On October 30, 1941, American Airlines Flight 1 lost its struggle to remain airborne, hurtling into a field at Lawrence Station in Southwold Township.
Twenty died in what was Elgin county’s worst disaster.
The crash was the subject of a production last year in Shedden by Cuthbert entitled Lawrence Station: The Crash of American Airlines Flagship Erie which is incorporated into Snapshots.
Links to a pair of posts on the Flagship Erie can be found below.
“I pulled in the events of Lawrence Station,” advised Cuthbert, “into this series of plays, so it is a sort of connection, in that way.
“With the RCAF, it’s their 100th anniversary and that interest is there as well. There is just so much material, and the fact that it was in Fingal is hardly even known by so many people.”
Snapshots is a presentation of the Southwold History and War Veterans Memorial committees, on April 19 and 20 at the Keystone Complex in Shedden.
Tickets are available at the Southwold Township office in Fingal and for more information and online tickets, visit http://OnStageLive.ca
Related posts:
Commemorative plaque to honour the 20 souls lost in Elgin county’s worst disaster
REALIGNMENT OF AREA ROADS
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation advises of the completion of the preliminary design, detail design and Class Environmental Assessment study related to the widening of Hwy. 4 and the proposed Talbotville Bypass and twinning of Hwy. 3.
According to the recommendations, the work would include:
- Construction of a new Talbotville Bypass from Hwy. 4 to Hwy. 3 at Ron McNeil Line
- The twinning of Hwy. 3 from Ron McNeil Line to Centennial Avenue which would require twinning the bridge over Kettle Creek
- Construction of two additional lanes on Hwy. 4 from Clinton Line to the new Talbotville Bypass
- Construction of a roundabout at Hwy. 4 connecting to the Talbotville Bypass, a partial cloverleaf interchange at Ron McNeil Line/Wonderland Road and a partial cloverleaf interchange at Wellington Road
- Improvements to the interchange at Hwy. 3 and First Avenue
- Realignment of Clinton Line/Longhurst Line at the Hwy. 4 intersection
Beginning Monday, Feb. 5, Transportation Environmental Study Reports for the Talbotville Bypass and the twinning of Hwy. 3 will be available online at http://www.highway3elgin.ca for public comment.
The reports will remain open for comment until March 5.
Related posts:
St. Thomas area growth triggers major realignment of roads and highways
MORE POWER NEEDED FOR POWERCO PLANT
Another indicator of the scope of the EV battery plant to be housed at Yarmouth Yards is contained in the Feb. 5 city council agenda.
A class environmental assessment will soon begin for a new transmission line to power the facility and support future growth in the region.
Hydro One is proposing to construct a new 230-kilovolt, double-circuit transmission line that will extend from their existing transmission corridor north of Hwy. 401 in London to the new Centennial Transformer Station in St. Thomas.
Hydro One has identified three routes (see map) for the proposed new transmission line.
According to the utility, “These route alternatives were identified by mapping out technical, socioeconomic, and natural environment constraints and identifying potential opportunities to parallel linear infrastructure. As part of the Class EA, each route alternative will be studied and
evaluated to ultimately select a preferred route for the new line.”
A pair of community open houses will be held later this month in the city and Belmont.
The St. Thomas event is on Feb. 21 from 3 until 8 p.m. at St. Anne’s Centre, 20 Morrison Drive.
The Belmont open house is Feb. 22 from 3 until 8 p.m. at the Belmont Arena.
The line is expected to be in service by 2027.
COMMUNITY POLICING PILOT PROJECT STYMIED BY TRUSTEES
A pilot project that would have seen community policing return to London schools was voted down this week by the slimmest of margins.
The motion was defeated 7-6 with Thames Valley District School Board chair Beth Mai casting the deciding vote.
Police officers have not been in TVDSB schools since 2020, that includes schools in Elgin and Oxford counties.
School officials in both Elgin and Oxford were receptive to reviving the community policing initiative which had garnered positive feedback when implemented.
Elgin trustees Bruce Smith and Meagan Ruddock supported the pilot project motion.
Ironically the London District Catholic School Board has committed to reviving the program.
TVDSB Chair Mai issued the following statement following this week’s meeting.
“After thorough and careful consideration, TVDSB has decided to maintain its current practice regarding policing in schools at this time.
“We continue to value and respect the contributions of our local police services in serving the community and we recognize their significant role in maintaining community safety.”
“We are committed to a positive learning environment and believe that safety in our schools is a top priority.
“We are committed to continuing to explore and invest in alternative approaches that align with these values, such as enhancing mental health resources, continuing to implement restorative justice practices and strengthing community partnerships.
“We believe in fostering a school culture where every student feels valued, respected and safe. We remain dedicated to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to continually assess and improve our safety protocols and educational strategies.
“We continue to value and respect the contributions of our local police services in serving the community and we recognize their significant role in maintaining community safety.
“We appreciate the continued engagement of stakeholders and partners in our shared goal of providing the best possible environment to work, learn and grow.”
We will have much more on this short-sighted decision in the coming weeks.
Especially in light of reports of an increase in disturbing incidents in schools since 2020, something that some school board trustees seem loathe to acknowledge.
ONE TO WATCH
On the agenda for Monday’s (Feb. 5) council meeting is a deputation from the Central Community Health Centre team addressing opioid use disorder.
In a letter from CEO Judith Wiley she writes, “As you are aware, our community is facing significant challenges related to opioid use disorder.
“Central Community Health Centre has been at the forefront of addressing this crisis through various outreach programs and initiatives aimed at providing support and care to those affected.
“We believe it is imperative that council knows of this work, to foster a deeper understanding of the issue and to highlight the critical work being done by our team.
“For instance, we now have more than 150 people on the program; several are now successfully housed and some returned to the workforce because of the program.”
Wiley concludes her letter to council with, “We are confident this discussion will be a significant step toward a collective effort in combating the opioid crisis in St. Thomas.”
THE ECHO CHAMBER
A brief, but very much-to-the-point comment from Melissa Schneider on last week’s item dealing with industrial land compensation for the Municipality of Central Elgin.
“Central Elgin owed St. Thomas our industrial lands?? HAHAHAHA What a joke!”
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My brother-in-law’s father Judd Kennedy was the Commanding Officer at Fingal and was there to unveil the plaque. My brother-in-law Ken, his wife and I will be coming to this play.