A yearly event remembers the soldiers who died in World War I
On Saturday morning, lots of people lined the streets in downtown St. John’s to remember the soldiers from the province who died in the First World War.
While the rest of the country celebrates July 1 as Canada Day, Newfoundland and Labrador also recognizes it as Memorial Day because it is the anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel.
People think of the battle as one of the most important events for both the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and the whole province of Newfoundland and Labrador. On July 1, 1916, more than 700 men from the Newfoundland Regiment were killed or hurt.
On Saturday, there were marching bands, speeches, and wreath-laying by the children of soldiers. During the ceremony held every year at the National War Memorial, veterans and soldiers who died in other wars were also honored.
A number of military leaders were there, including General Mark Milley, who is the current U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and whose great-grandfather served in the Newfoundland Regiment in Galipoli. Milley is the most important military advisor to the president, secretary of defense, and National Security Council. He is the highest-ranking military officer in the United States.
For many of the people there, this day has a lot of personal meaning.
Neil Harvey, whose father was in the regiment at the time but didn’t go to Beaumont-Hamel because he was sick, said, “I think of all those people who died there.”
“That very well could have been my dad.”
Harvey also spent 18 years in the regiment and rose to the rank of colonel.
Dawn Pollard, one of the many people who were on Water Street for the ceremony, said, “My great-uncle died in the First World War.”
“He is buried somewhere in Belgium, and I often wonder if they’ll ever find his body and bring it back to Newfoundland.”
She said that people should also think about wars in terms of the present.
She said, “People should think about not only the First World War, but also the war in Ukraine, which is going on right now.”
“The first of July is a sad day in Newfoundland, but a happy day in Canada,” Pollard said. “We’re so lucky to live in Canada and have freedom.”
David Moore, a veteran, felt the same way.
“Really, how lucky we are to live in this country and have the freedoms we have, to do the things we do and enjoy our lives as we live them, thanks to those people,” he said.
Moore was in the military for a total of 30 years, and his father served in two wars.
Karl Snow, who works for the Royal Oak Orange Lodge in St. John’s, said it’s also important to remember the other soldiers who died during the Somme offensive.
“It’s very important for Newfoundlanders to honor what they did for us by coming out today.”
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