This week’s Remember This photograph shows the Collingwood Collegiate Institute (CCI) Cadets participating in a drill on May 21, 1915.
The CCI Cadets were formed in 1899 with the goals of developing leadership and citizenship, promoting fitness, and sparking an interest in the Canadian Forces.
Participation was mandatory for male students enrolled in high school. Every year the cadets would have an inspection, usually around mid-May, so it is possible that this photo is from the 1915 annual inspection.
The cadets were required to perform their daily training, and practice routines. They also paraded down Hurontario Street to Exhibition Park (today’s Central Park on Hume Street) to perform drill movements. Participation in the cadets was no longer mandatory by 1961. Three years later the program was discontinued due to decreasing support.
Do you remember the cadet program at CCI? Let us know by emailing [email protected], we'd love to hear about your experience.
Remember This is a weekly series of historic photographs submitted by the Collingwood Museum to CollingwoodToday.ca. These photographs were originally collected and documented by the Huron Institute in an historical catalogue entitled Huron Institute Paper and Records: Volume III. Much of Collingwood’s early history has been preserved due to the dedication and foresight of the early museum’s founders, namely its secretary-curator David Williams, upon its establishment in 1904.
