In mid February, a group of Canadian Officer and Naval Cadets from the Royal Military College (RMC) in Kingston stepped onto storied soil in northern France and Belgium\u2014not just as students of history, but as future leaders learning from those in whose footsteps they will follow.<\/p>\n
The Mottershead Battlefield Tour (MBFT) is a nine-day, non-credit history experience offered twice a year thanks to the extraordinary contribution of Ian and Rosemary Mottershead. It immerses Officer and Naval Cadets in the landscapes of two world wars\u2014from the trenches of the Somme to the beaches of Dieppe, from Monte Cassino to Coriano Ridge, and the Falaise Gap.<\/p>\n
Led by RMC faculty, the MBFT is more than a travel opportunity\u2014it\u2019s a meaningful extension of the College\u2019s core history curriculum. It offers students a deeper understanding of the complexities of any battlefield decision and their impact in both global conflicts.<\/p>\n
At Vimy Ridge, students stood at the edge of the preserved trenches and looked out over ground once taken at great cost. In Ortona, they walked in the footsteps of the Canadian troops that fought in 1943, from street to street and from mouse-hole to mouse-hole, with the remains of the bullets still visible on the walls around them. In each place, they encountered not only historical facts but personal legacies.<\/p>\n
A highlight for many was the wreath-laying ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium\u2014a moment of solemn remembrance for the thousands of Canadians lost in the Great War who have no known graves. Representing the College and Canada, Officer and Naval Cadets paused not just to honour, but to reflect.<\/p>\n
The experience helps Officer and Naval Cadets internalize the responsibilities they are preparing to take on. \u201cIt\u2019s a completely different perspective when you\u2019re actually there,\u201d said one of the students on the tour. “You can learn all this in a classroom, but coming out here and seeing the terrain, seeing the battlefields\u2014it completely changes the experience.”<\/p>\n
The MBFT also offers a powerful leadership perspective. Touring the graveyards of fallen junior officers\u2014many of them barely older than the Officer and Naval Cadets themselves\u2014brought home the human dimension of command. \u201cBeing here, you can really understand why it took so much courage to do what they did,\u201d said another student on the tour. Thanks to the MBFT, the sacrifice and complexity of decision-making in war become tangible. Leadership is no longer abstract\u2014it\u2019s personal.<\/p>\n
The Battlefield Tours are made possible thanks to the generosity of Ian and Rosemary Mottershead. Their support ensures that today\u2019s Officer and Naval Cadets can access transformative, experiential learning that reinforces the values of service, sacrifice, and leadership.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, the Mottershead Battlefield Tour deepens more than knowledge. It strengthens the students\u2019 connection to their profession, their institution, and their country. By walking where their Canadian Forces predecessors once stood, they gain a profound appreciation of how those actions helped define the Canada we know today.<\/p>\n
Watch the 2025 Mottershead Battlefield Tour video here:<\/p>\n