About IODE
IODE Canada is a national women’s charitable organization, founded in 1900, dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals through education support, community service and citizenship programs. Today, members from across Canada raise approximately 3 million dollars, annually and reinvest it in Canada’s children, families and communities. Visit – www.iode.ca and www.iodeont
ario.ca
About the Kent Regiment Chapter IODE
On April 13, 1913, the 24th Kent Regiment Chapter, Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (today known simply as IODE) was formed at the request of the Commanding Officer of the 24th Kent Regiment, Colonel HD Smith, to assist the Regiment and their families as well as women and children of our community. The Chapter adopted the motto of the Regiment: “Unto the Last Ditch” and 95 members were enrolled. AC Woodward. We are the oldest IODE Chapter in Chatham-Kent and will celebrate our 100thanniversary this year. Members supplied the Regiment with new colours (flags), personal items for troops, assisted soldiers’ families, and provided dinners and entertainment at the Armoury. During WW I members met weekly to knit and sew items for soldiers and pack comfort boxes for the troops. Money was raised for the Canadian Red Cross, Belgian Relief, a hospital ship, military hospitals, prisoners of war and a field kitchen. Today, we continue to support our local Regiment, now the Essex and Kent Scottish, host receptions for the Cadet Corps Inspection, support local Nursing Homes with catheter bag covers, wheelchair caddies and books; supply our adopted school grade 4-6 class in Labrador with school supplies, treats, mittens and scarves and support a music festival bursary. We raise funds through an Antique Show and Sale in October. Our 100th Anniversary project is the creation of the Gathering Our Heroes website compiling all of the existing information about the WW I & II veterans of Chatham-Kent. About the Books of Remembrance
Creation of the WW I Books of Remembrance was an early Chapter project. Members canvassed the community to obtain information on our servicemen and women and recorded it in the Books. After WW II, IODE did the same for those service men and women. In total, 13 Books of Remembrance were created and given to the CK Museum for safekeeping. These Books are a frequently requested tool for those doing genealogical research and have been digitized by the Chatham-Kent Museum, for everyday use, to preserve the original documents. The CK Museum has agreed to share the information from the IODE Books of Remembrance on the website. We know that many of the veterans of both conflicts were not included in the Books of Remembrance. Jerry Hind has researched CK WW I veterans extensively, not only their names, but their stories. Jerry has also begun to research WW II, in the same manner. To date, we know that there are at least 10 700 veterans from Chatham-Kent of both conflicts. About The Gathering Our Heroes Project
Several years ago, our Chapter Historian, Norma West, had the vision that we needed to “find the rest of those missed from WW II and do something with the information”, which at the time we thought would be another Book of Remembrance. Quickly, we came to realize that the best way to reach people today, and to preserve the names and stories of the veterans was by creating a comprehensive, searchable database of C-K veterans’ enlistments from both conflicts, on a website. Basically, we are creating an online museum of the CK Enlistments for WW I & II. This website will document the contributions of our WW I and II veterans, making them accessible to all via the internet. We believe that there is no other resource like this in Canada today and know that it will become a very valuable research tool for our community and beyond. Our goal is to become basically a “clearing house” of information. We want to compile: ALL of the existing information, along with new research, of the veterans from Chatham-Kent from both conflicts. We are searching for the WW I and II veterans of Chatham-Kent who were:
• Born in Chatham – Kent (Kent County)
• Living in Chatham Kent (Kent county) at the time of enlistment
• Actually enlisted in Chatham-Kent (Kent County)
We are asking people to contact us with their veteran’s information and stories for documentation on the website. Women dedicated to a better Canada.
