First parade for CCF cadets

This week nine cadets were honoured to act as ‘guard’ at the annual General Gordon Parade in Gravesend. This year’s parade recognised the 125th anniversary of the death of General Gordon and was the first time that there was any representation from the military, on this occasion in the form of our Combined Cadet Force. The school were asked to take part by the Royal Engineers Association, who have been organising the parade for a number of years, and whose band provide the music for the service.

General Gordon , who is often referred to as Gordon of Khartoum, was born in Woolwich but spent much of his life, when in England, with his regiment in Gravesend. A supporter of education, particularly for the poor, he was responsible for setting up the ‘Ragged School’ in Gravesend, which eventually became The Gordon School, and is now known as The Chantry School. Appropriately students and staff from The Chantry School, take part in the event every year and this year they provided a much welcomed reception following the service.

Mayor of Gravesham, Councillor Bronwen McGarrity, who inspected the guard, said, ‘ The General Gordon Memorial Parade is an important part of the history of Gravesend and to be able to share that history with the young people in our community is very important. It was a real pleasure to have the cadets from Gad’s Hill involved in the parade this year, they were smart, confident and a fantastic addition to the service. I hope they will be able to return next year’