Remembrance Day

On this Remembrance Day I remember my brave father, Trevor Dossett, former Spitfire pilot, RAF Squadron 222. He died February 20th, 2013 after a brave battle with cancer at the age of 92. He was born November 29, 1920 to Arthur and Dorothy (Baldry) in Leigh-On-Sea, UK.  Trevor Dossett graduated from Southend High School where he excelled at track and field. His parents owned Dossett & Sons bakeries, famous in the area for their wedding cakes and confectioneries. He joined the RAF in 1938, signing up at the Palmeira Towers Hotel, in Westcliff. He was soon a member of Spitfire squadron 222, headed by the famous ace Douglas Bader. Much of his air time was spent escorting bombers on daring raids into Nazi strongholds, but by 1942 he was assigned to train pilots in Canada, where he met his wife-to-be, Zita Sampson. Longing to get back into the action, he returned to Europe and was sent to Belgium and Holland to fly meteorological missions and report on the atmospheric conditions, taking his Spitfire up to heights of 42,000ft. At the end of the war Flight Lieutenant Dossett moved to Kingston, Ontario Canada where he married Zita Sampson.  An avid businessman, he opened his own business as an Insurance Broker and Real Estate Agent. He was also a successful developer, building and renovating many homes and apartments in the Kingston area. He was an active and long-time member of many community service groups, especially the Kingston Rotary Club. He helped students land scholarships to universities abroad and he assisted with fundraising for many Rotary Club ventures. A strong supporter of the performing arts, he participated in and enthusiastically supported many theatrical and musical productions by building sets and marketing the productions. He was an accomplished and talented artist in many media including, but not limited to, oils and watercolour and sculpture. He loved playing guitar, harmonica, sailing, flying, making models and inventing. Above all, he was a loving and devoted family man who loved to be with his family, introducing them to travel, skiing, sailing, and all kinds of wonderful adventure.

Martello Alley will be open on Remembrance Day, but we will close for a few minutes to observe the Remembrance Ceremony.

Artists have been there through human history, recording the joy and the sorrow, the beauty and the terror, the times of peace and the devastation of war. 

On November 11, Remembrance Day, we remember and honour those who have fallen in defense of our country and our freedom.