A Brief History of the Corps...

Sea Cadets in Belleville started in 1928 when the Navy League of Canada, Belleville Branch was formed. Little factual history of the early days is known by the current members when the present location was bought and provided to the Belleville Branch by supportive prominent Belleville citizens.

The Corps takes it name from two RCN minesweepers named HMCS Quinte, the first in 1941 and the second in 1954. Throughout the 1950’s the Corps is known to be over 100 cadets with sub units in Trenton, Stirling and Frankford. Quinte is known to be a strong competitor in Cock of the Walk competitions throughout the 1950’s. By the early 1960’s staff turnover reduced the Corps to less than 30 cadets with a rebuilding process needed. New officer staff brought an interest in .22 rifle shooting and with the winning of the Marsden Cup marksmanship training maintained area championship up to the early 1970’s including a 1968 DCRA Second Division national championship.

The corps boats, 4 dinghies, 1 pulling cutter and a small outboard were refurbished for the 1963 season and a sailing programme started. In 1964 the corps band was recreated in a brass band rather than drum and bugle format and by 1965 started the Santa Claus Parade tradition that is a strong part of our present programme. General proficiency increased to such a high level that by 1971 Quinte won the Nelson Trophy for best small corps in Canada with an enrolment of 60plus cadets. In 1971 Quinte was honoured to have Governor General Roland Michener present a set of ceremonial flags to the corps, similar to a set of colours for a regular military unit. Quinte continued to place in the top five corps in Ontario through to 1975 when the Nelson Trophy, (first place in Canada,) again returned to Belleville. In 1972 and 1973 Quinte ran a Student Summer Employment Programme activity called “Band on the Bay” which combined sailing and band training for a two week period for several Ontario Corps right in the Belleville “ship”.

From 1973 through 1977 Quinte served as the staging ground for camp “Sailsafe”, on Waupoos Island, south of Picton, the forerunner of HMCS Frontenac, which in turn became HMCS Ontario at RMC in Kingston. The first Navy League Provincial Sailing Regatta was hosted by Quinte in the mid 1970’s and as a strong sailing corps to this day Quinte has fielded a crew in the National Sea cadet Regattas of the last two years as well as several others since the mid-1970’s. All through the 1970’s Quinte maintained a close relationship with RCSCC Falkland, in Ottawa, which resulted in the production of several Sunset Ceremonies and Ceremonies of the Flags on Parliament Hill to mark the annual Battle of the Atlantic observances.

The 1970’s saw the beginning of a close and still continuing association with both the Bay of Quinte Squadron of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons and the Canadian Yachting Association and use of their instructional materials and standards so that the graduating Sea Cadet would have a recognized entrée into the Canadian boating fraternity upon aging out of the cadet movement. The 1980’s added the additional challenge of mountain climbing in the high peaks of the Adirondacks to the main foci of seamanship, sailing, marksmanship and band work. Although seldom believed to be so by outsiders the corps band is an additional secondary aspect of Quinte training since it continues to function at a very high level of musicianship. The band was invited to perform on Parliament Hill for Her Majesty the Queen’s visit during the Canada 125 celebrations and as the house band for the Cadet 2000 tattoo in Hamilton as well as several other major tattoos. Many Quinte officers and senior cadets have served as staff and instructors at HMCS Ontario and earned recognition for their sailing and seamanship competence. A natural outgrowth of that recognition throughout the 1990’s saw Quinte and the Belleville Branch of the Navy League of Canada serve as custodians for the Sea Cadet Training Vessel “Robert I. Hendy” which until this past year served as a major training platform for the Trade Group I Boatswain course.

As well as other achievements, the Quinte swim team has been the Kawartha Flotilla Champion Corps for 20 of the last 24 years including the last 16 years straight. The 1990’s saw the Quinte sail fleet grow to three keelboats, 2 whalers, 4 albacores, 2 420’s and 3 lasers with six little wooden dinghies of the 1950’s Peterborough Pal class still held in reserve. Quinte finished the past training year holding the flotilla championship standing in Sailing, both Junior and Senior, Swimming, Drill Without Arms, and a second place in Pellet Rifle Marksmanship. The current 2002-2003 training year has seen enrolment soar to over 120 cadets and we are now facing the happy problem of attempting to meet the sea cadet needs of more cadets than we ever expected to train!