Major-General F.F. Worthington Memorial Park
After the first battle of Ypres in 1915 both sides of the battlefield had dug themselves deep into wide defensive trench positions protected by thick barbed wire, machines guns and increased artillery. Traditional methods of combat resulted in an unacceptable number of casualties and little gains in ground.
The tank was designed to overcome the obstacles of "No Man's Land" and break the state of deadlock that existed on the Western Front. On September 15th, 1916 the first tanks crept on the battlefield of France summoning in a new era. It is on November 20th, 1917 though that large scale tank warfare was born.
In Canada, between the First and Second World Wars it was Major-General F.F. Worthington who was one of the strongest supporters for the use of Armoured Fighting Vehicles. In 1936 he was given the assignment of organizing and commanding the Canadian Tank School at London, Ontario. The school was moved to Camp Borden in 1938.
During the Second World War he was selected to organize, command and take overseas both the 1st Army Tank Brigade and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division. In 1944, General Worthington returned to command Camp Borden, training replacements for the Armoured Corps and the Infantry, as well as the Royal Army Service Corps and the Canadian Provost Corps.
In tribute to the man viewed as the Father of the Armoured Corps, his wish to be buried at Camp Borden was granted. The Major-General Worthington Memorial Park is a place of quiet reflection. The consecrated grounds are home to a collection of armoured vehicles and artillery arranged around the grave of Major-General Worthington. They are examples of military ingenuity from Canada and around the World. They represent the changes that military equipment had to undergo in order to meet the always changing challenges of the battlefield. The collection encompasses the period of the First World War to present.
