Memorial Day | |
---|---|
Official name | Memorial Day |
Observed by | Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada) |
Significance | Commemorates Newfoundland and Labrador war dead |
Observances | Parades, silences |
Date | 1 July |
Next time | 1 July 2025 |
Frequency | annual |
Memorial Day has been observed annually since 1 July 1917, to recall the losses of approximately 700 soldiers of the 1st Newfoundland Regiment from the Dominion of Newfoundland at Beaumont-Hamel on the first day on the Somme during the First World War. Since the induction of Newfoundland into Canada in 1949, "Memorial Day" has been amalgamated to commemorate the war-time sacrifices of members of the armed forces of the Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador. It is observed concurrently with Canada's national holiday, Canada Day.
During the First World War Newfoundland was a Dominion of the British Empire with a population of 240,000, and not yet part of Canada. [1] The 1st Newfoundland Regiment was deployed at Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli peninsula with the 29th British Division in support of the Gallipoli Campaign. [2] With the close of the Gallipoli Campaign the regiment spent a short period recuperating before being transferred to the Western Front in March 1916. [3] In France, the regiment regained battalion strength in preparation for the Battle of the Somme. The infantry assault began on 1 July 1916, and at 8:45 a.m. the Newfoundland Regiment and 1st Battalion of the Essex Regiment received orders to move forward. [4] So far as can be ascertained, 22 officers and 758 other ranks were directly involved in the advance. [5] Of these, all the officers and slightly under 658 other ranks became casualties. [5] Of the 780 men who went forward only about 110 survived unscathed, of whom only 68 were available for roll call the following day. [5] For all intents and purposes the Newfoundland Regiment had been wiped out, the unit as a whole having suffered a casualty rate of approximately 90%.
In the past, the forget-me-not was used to commemorate those who had sacrificed during war. The small flowers were pinned in the same way that the poppy is used on Remembrance Day, November 11. The province of Newfoundland and Labrador often observes Memorial Day during the morning at the National War Memorial in St. John's and cenotaphs around the province, flying the Union Flag at half staff. In the afternoon and evening they celebrate Canada Day. Besides Remembrance Day, this day is the only other day in which the red poppy is worn in Canada.[ citation needed ]
In 2024, an unknown Newfoundland soldier killed at Beaumont-Hamel was ceremonially entombed on Memorial Day for the centenary of the province's National War Memorial, in a ceremony attended by Governor General Mary Simon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Andrew Furey. [6] [7] [8]
The 29th Division, known as the Incomparable Division, was an infantry division of the British Army, formed in early 1915 by combining various Regular Army units that had been acting as garrisons around the British Empire. Under the command of Major-General Aylmer Hunter-Weston, the division fought throughout the Gallipoli Campaign, including the original landing at Cape Helles. From 1916 to the end of the war the division fought on the Western Front in Belgium and France.
Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was confirmed by the Balfour Declaration of 1926 and the Statute of Westminster of 1931. It included the island of Newfoundland, and Labrador on the continental mainland. Newfoundland was one of the original dominions within the meaning of the Balfour Declaration, and accordingly enjoyed a constitutional status equivalent to the other dominions of the time.
The Royal Newfoundland Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It is part of the 5th Canadian Division's 37 Canadian Brigade Group.
Beaumont-Hamel is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
The National War Memorial in Downtown St. John's is the most elaborate of all the post World War I monuments in Newfoundland and Labrador. It was erected at King's Beach on Water Street where, in 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for England. It was formally unveiled on Memorial Day, 1 July 1924 by Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig.
The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial is a memorial site in France dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during World War I. The 74-acre (300,000 m2) preserved battlefield park encompasses the grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on 1 July 1916 during the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
The Gueudecourt Memorial is a Dominion of Newfoundland war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the Battle of Le Transloy, a sub-battle of the Battle of the Somme of World War I. Located about 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) north-east of Gueudecourt village, the memorial marks the spot where in October 1916, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment played a decisive role in the capture and holding of a German strong-point. The site also marks the furthest point of advance from the July 1st starting line of all British units during the Battle of the Somme.
Y Ravine Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of World War I situated on the grounds of Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park near the French town of Beaumont-Hamel.
The 51st (Highland) Division Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel is a memorial in France commemorating the soldiers of the 51st (Highland) Division killed during World War I. The memorial is located near Y Ravine on the 84-acre (340,000 m2) Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial site. This position had been the scene of the Division's first major victory on 13 November 1916 during the Battle of the Ancre, the closing stage of the Battle of the Somme.
Hunter's Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of World War I situated on the grounds of Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park near the French town of Beaumont-Hamel.
The Courtrai Memorial is a Dominion of Newfoundland war memorial in Kortrijk, Belgium, that commemorates the actions of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the First World War when it served and fought in several campaigns in Belgium from 1916 to 1918.
37 Canadian Brigade Group is a reserve component brigade of the Canadian Army, which supervises Militia units in 5th Canadian Division for New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. It was created by merging the New Brunswick Militia District and the Newfoundland and Labrador Militia District.
Gerald G. Byrne was a politician in Newfoundland. He represented St. John's City East in the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1928 to 1934.
Thomas Matthew Mary Nangle was a Newfoundland cleric, military chaplain of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during World War I, diplomat and later a Rhodesian politician and farmer.
Robert Carl Sheppard, MBE was a veteran of the Battle of the Somme in World War I who worked as a lighthouse keeper at Fort Amherst and was master mariner of two ships, the SS Eagle (1944–1945) and the SS Trepassey (1945–1946), chartered for the secret British Antarctic expedition, Operation Tabarin.
Francis Thomas Lind was a Newfoundland soldier. An accountant by trade, Lind volunteered for service during the First World War, eventually being killed in action on the Western Front in France. Correspondence written by Lind prior to his death later became widely published in his native Newfoundland, with Lind becoming a symbol of Newfoundlander service in the war. In light of his writings, Lind has been referred to as "Newfoundland's unofficial news correspondent" during the First World War.
The Ancre British Cemetery is a cemetery located in the Somme region of France commemorating British and Commonwealth soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Somme in World War I. The cemetery contains mainly those who died on 1 July 1916 during the first Allied attack on the village of Beaumont-Hamel, on 3 September 1916 during the second Allied attack on the village, and on 13 November 1916 during the capture of the village and the nearby towns of Beaucourt-sur-Ancre and St. Pierre-Divion.
The Beaumont Hamel British Cemetery is a cemetery located in the Somme region of France commemorating British and Commonwealth soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Somme in World War I. The cemetery contains mainly those who died on 1 July 1916 during the first Allied attack on the village of Beaumont-Hamel and in subsequent operations in the area until February 1917.
The Gallipoli Newfoundland Memorial is a war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the Gallipoli campaign, of World War I. Located at the southwest end of the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey, near Suvla Bay the memorial commemorates the participation of the Newfoundland Regiment in the landing at Suvla Bay on 20 September 1915 with the 29th Division.