International award for Antrim Cadets

TWO local cadets from the 1st Northern Ireland Battalion Army Cadet Force are the lucky recipients of an international award in commemoration of the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

1st Northern Ireland Battalion Army Cadet Force Probationary Instructor Ellie May Wilson, and Sergeant James Hughes, have been recognized by Honorary Colonel Kevin McCormick of the Irish Regiment of Canada, with rare awards to commemorate the Coronation.

HCol McCormick, who also serves as President and Vice-Chancellor of Huntington University in Ontario, visited the United Kingdom last month making presentations to individuals and groups with respect to his own personal projects and initiatives which actively promote British history, including British military history.

While in Northern Ireland inspecting the cadets of 1st Northern Ireland Battalion ACF, HCol McCormick presented the special Coronation Award upon the two cadets.

“I am truly honoured to be in the presence of the officers and members of 1st Northern Ireland Battalion Army Cadet Force,” he said.

“I am especially pleased to also congratulate Cadets Ellie May Wilson and Sergeant James Hughes, who are both excellent recipients of the Coronation Award, a special commemorative awards programme I have established to honour and preserve the occasion of the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III which marks an auspicious moment in our collective history.

“These awards have been presented to distinguished individuals and organisations across Canada and the UK and these two amazing cadets are exemplary additions to the ranks of recipients.”

Cadet Wilson said it was an honour to be selected.

“I am immensely proud to be chosen as a recipient of the Coronation Award created and presented by HCol Kevin McCormick of the Irish Regiment of Canada.

“The award, which has been given to young people throughout the UK and Canada, is a remarkable way to acknowledge and celebrate the vital role of the Sovereign and Royal Family.

“To be included in this amazing group of recipients is, without question, a very deep honour.”

Over the span of the past two decades, HCol McCormick has funded and conceived initiatives such as the Crown and Canada, the British Military History and UK-Canada Military History initiatives and Project Honour and Preserve, leveraging opportunities afforded through these activities in order to fulfil his mission to raise awareness of the role of the Sovereign in Canada’s history - especially the role the Monarch holds within the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as within the UK and Commonwealth.

In addition to presenting awards to worthy recipients, HCol McCormick at his own expense, over the years has travelled more than 150,000 kilometres finding, acquiring and then returning artifacts and items pertaining to British and Canadian history and heritage to museums, families, or governments across Canada and within the United Kingdom.

He has previously made presentations through his Crown and Canada initiative to top-ranking officials, including Her Excellency Susan le Jeune d’Allegeershecque, British High Commissioner to Canada; Brigadier Nicholas Orr, United Kingdom Defence and Military Adviser and Head of British Defence Liaison Staff, for the British High Commission in Canada, and retired Major General Sir Sebastian J. Roberts, Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion of the Irish Guards in London and Northern Ireland as well as Senior Army Representative at the Royal College of Defence Studies.

HCol McCormick was also personally invited, and attended, the Prince of Wales in 2018.

Captain Gary Miniss, of the 1st Northern Ireland Battalion Army Cadet Force, said they were pleased to offer him a warm welcome to Antrim.

“The 1st Northern Ireland Battalion Army Cadet Force takes great pride in welcoming HCol McCormick to County Antrim.

“Through the UK-Canada Military History initiative and other projects, HCol McCormick has made truly generational contributions, instilling in future generations the great relevance of the Crown in our national identity.”

Sergeant James Hughes said he was pleased to meet the VIP visitor too.

“The Coronation Award that I received means a great deal to me as it recognizes and commemorates the Coronation of King Charles III - a moment of great significance in history,” he said.

“HCol McCormick has spent decades of his life creating inspiring initiatives that have enriched the lives of people, and especially cadets, throughout the UK and Canada.”