Thomas Ricketts, VC

An item from the Legion Magazine.

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“A splendid boy”—Thomas Ricketts, VC

Story by Sharon Adams

A sturdy lad who had worked from an early age beside his fisherman father, Thomas (Tommy) Ricketts was not asked for proof of his birthdate when he followed in the footsteps of his brother George and joined the Newfoundland Regiment in September 1916, at the age of 15. He was destined to become a hero before his 18th birthday.

Private Ricketts was a seasoned soldier by the time the Hundred Days Offensive began in 1918. Sent to the front in July 1917, he went over the top at the Battle of Langemarck in August, fought at the Battle of Poelcappelle in October. In November, he was wounded early on in the First Battle of Cambrai, which claimed his brother in December.

Unmanned spy vessel washes up on
Scottish island; nobody claims it

Story by Stephen J. Thorne

A mysterious, low-profile craft, identified as a robotic spy vessel, has washed up on Scotland’s Isle of Tiree not far from Britain’s nuclear submarine base. But after more than a week of public appeals by coast guard authorities, no one has claimed ownership.

A little more than three metres long, the craft looks like a surfboard with solar panels. It was identified as the surface element of a Wave Glider, an “unmanned surface vessel” made by California-based Liquid Robotics, part of Boeing Corp.’s defence, space and security division.