Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

Welcome to Memorials administered by the GovernmentZeebrugge of Canada Legacy and memory Beaumont-Hamel 1. St. Julien Ghent Rebuilt with fresh recruits, the 2. Passchendaele Calais 1 2 Newfoundland Regiment served Five3. Hillmemorials 62 (Sanctuary Wood) in Europe To Brussels 4. Courtrai during the rest of the First World Ypres 3 recognize5. Vimy Newfoundlanders 4 Belgium War with distinction. In 1918, the 6. Monchy-le-Preux Regiment received the designation who7. Dury served in the First World Boulogne-sur-Mer Lille “Royal’’. It would be the only unit War.8. Bourlon The Wood largest of these 9. Masnières of the British Army to earn that Lens A1 memorials10. Beaumont-Hamel is the Beaumont- 1. St. Julien 5 honour during the war years. By the 11. Gueudecourt 2. Passchendaele France 3. Hill 62 (Sanctuary Wood) Hamel12. Courcelette Newfoundland 6 end of hostilities, more than 6,200 4. Courtrai Arras 13. Le Quesnel 5. Vimy 7 Newfoundlanders had served in the Memorial. At its heart stands 6. Monchy-le-Preux 7. Dury Abbeville Cambrai Regiment. Over 1,300 lost their lives, a great bronze caribou— 8. Bourlon Wood 8 Major Highways 9. Masnières 9 with another 2,500 wounded or the emblem of the Royal 10. Beaumont-Hamel 10 Cities 11. Gueudecourt 11 taken prisoner. 12. Courcelette Newfoundland Regiment. 13. Le Quesnel Canadian Memorial Amiens 12 St Quentin Major Highways 13 After the war, families and It watchesNewfoundland Memorial over the rolling Cities communities across Newfoundland fields where many fell A1 Self-guided tour map Canadian Memorial mourned the loss of so many and have no known final Newfoundland Memorial young lives. They soon turned resting place. To Paris their attention to honouring those who served. Newfoundland built a national war memorial in its capital, Newfoundland in the The Battles of the Somme and Beaumont-Hamel St. John’s, and officially designated First World War July 1 as Memorial Day. This custom The Allied assault on the Somme began in is still observed today. When war broke out in August 1914, the early hours of 1 July 1916. Thousands Newfoundland was a dominion of of British and French soldiers advanced Newfoundlanders also selected the British Empire and not yet a part across No Man’s Land on a front more five memorial sites in France and of Canada. Once Britain declared war, than 39 kilometres wide. Despite Belgium. The first regimental Newfoundland—like Canada— was intense preparations, the battle would padre in the Royal Newfoundland at war. The people of Newfoundland be a bloody one, with more than 60,000 Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel responded with a great outpouring casualties, including 20,000 dead. Father Thomas Nangle, led the of patriotism. Many rushed to selection and setup of these sites. enlist. From a total population of The 1st Newfoundland Regiment attacked at The five sites together are known as about 242,000, more than 12,000 about 9:15 a.m. near the villages of Beaumont the Trail of the Caribou. The largest Newfoundlanders would serve and Hamel. Unfortunately, the assault lacked the of these sites is the Beaumont-Hamel in uniform. element of surprise. The initial Allied bombardment had failed to damage Newfoundland Memorial. It sits on most of the German defenses. In less than half an hour, the Regiment more than 30 hectares of the ground The Newfoundland Regiment—a suffered the second highest casualty rate for a battalion on that day. More over which the 1st Newfoundland unit of the British Army—first saw than 700 were killed, wounded or missing. This tragedy touched almost Regiment advanced on 1 July 1916. action in the Gallipoli campaign in every Newfoundland family. Turkey. The regiment was then sent to France’s Western Front for the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. St. John’s Road Trench, 1916 29th Division Monument Preserved trenches slowly through communication trenches across No Man’s Land, the Danger Tree filled with wounded men and exposed 6 marked an area of particularly heavy to German artillery, the 1st Essex were fire. It is the site of a high concentration of Early in the war, there was a stalemate in The Newfoundland Regiment served most quickly pinned down by German fire. For Newfoundland casualties. After the battle, trench warfare along the Western Front. of the First World War as part of the 29th their part, the 1st Newfoundland Regiment the tree’s broken and twisted remains This saw front line trenches zigzag across Division’s 88th Brigade. Formed in early moved across ground which was out of emerged as an important symbol of the nearly 1,000 kilometres of France and 1915, the 29th Division first saw action sight of most German forces. However, as scope of devastation the fighting caused. Belgium. Today, the preserved in the Gallipoli Campaign of that same they reached the ridgeline, Newfoundland Today, a replica of the original tree stands trenches provide a good idea of year. They later saw action at the Battle 9 soldiers were silhouetted in the morning in its place. the limited view soldiers had as of the Somme on the morning of July 1, sunlight and were now a clear target for the they prepared for battle in 1916. 1916. On that day at Beaumont-Hamel, opposing force. As the only soldiers moving The Newfoundland advance was called off Reinforced with sandbags, Newfoundland soldiers wore the 29th on the battlefield, they were subjected to at 9:45 a.m. After only 30 minutes of battle, the walls of the trenches 10 Division’s red triangle on their shoulders, the full wrath of the German army. the 1st Newfoundland Regiment would were originally about 2.5 as seen on the monument dedicated to suffer an 86% casualty rate. metres tall. Soldiers needed the Division 2 at Beaumont-Hamel. They 12 11 8 also wore the cap badges featuring the periscopes to see enemy Danger Tree Regiment’s caribou emblem. positions across No Man’s Wellington Trench Land. Wooden platforms, In the face of heavy machine gun fire, called duckboards, few members of the 1st Newfoundland Despite the high number of casualties St. John’s Road Trench attempted to provide a dry Regiment made it past the initial barbed sustained by Allied forces on July 1, the passageway. The curved shape 7 wire defenses. Many of those who did Battle of the Somme continued until After arriving at Beaumont-Hamel in of the trenches protected soldiers were forced to take cover behind a November 1916. Although originally early 1916, the 1st Newfoundland Regiment from shelling and raids. With little small ridge next to one of the few planned for the initial attack, Wellington trained and dug trenches in preparation protection from the elements though, landmarks on the ravaged landscape: Trench 7 wasn’t built until late July. for the upcoming British offensive. The life in the trenches was miserable. a lone tree. Located halfway Its position further forward in No Man’s St. John’s Road Trench 3 was a reserve Soldiers were often wet, muddy and cold 6 Land later provided an advantage. On 13 trench and was named after the capital city as they lived side-by-side with pests such as November 1916, the British front line used of Newfoundland. On the morning of rats, lice and fleas. the trench as the 51st (Highland) Division July 1, 1916, the 1st Newfoundland finally captured Y Ravine and the villages of Regiment waited in this trench for their 5 Beaumont and Hamel. order to advance. As part of the second British front line 9 wave of attack, their original objective was German front line and to take German positions approximately On July 1, the 29th Division’s 87th Brigade four kilometres away. stood on the most forward position 10 Y Ravine occupied by the Allies 5 . From this position at 7:30 a.m., the 87th Brigade Caribou Monument and 4 When Allied forces advanced on July 1, began the first wave of the Allied advance 12 11 8 Germany’s Württemberg 26th Division had commemorative plaques on Beaumont. Unfortunately, seven occupied its position 9 near Beaumont- days and nights of preliminary artillery 2 Hamel for 18 months. The German forces The bronze caribou 4 at the centre of bombardments had not inflicted as much had a good view of the surrounding area the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland damage as expected to the German lines. and clear lines of fire from their trenches. Memorial was designed by British sculptor The 87th Brigade sustained heavy losses To To Having arrived in the Somme well in Auchonvilliers 3 1 Hamel Captain Basil Gotto. It pays tribute to the and was soon pinned down in No Man’s 7 advance of the Allies, German positions Newfoundland Regiment’s caribou emblem. Land. The 1st Newfoundland Regiment were able to develop well-fortified positions Six sculptures were cast. One stands at began its advance almost two hours later. P D73 with deeply dug trenches, a well-established each of the five battlefield memorials in By then, German machine gunners and tunnel system and dugouts for soldiers riflemen had targeted the narrow passages Europe and the sixth stands in St. John’s. 6 stationed there. Surrounded by rocks and shrubs native cut in the barbed wire. to Newfoundland, the caribou faces in the Legend 51st (Highland) Division direction Newfoundland troops advanced Preserved battlefield on 1 July 1916. Monument 1. Visitor Centre 5 Deep craters still scar today’s grassy 2. 29th Division Monument Road Unveiled in 1924, the 51st (Highland) There are 821 names inscribed on three landscape and hint at the danger Allied 3. St. John’s Road Trench Division monument 10 is located at bronze tablets at the base of the monument forces faced as they advanced directly into 4. Caribou Monument and commemorative plaques Walking trail Beaumont-Hamel. It recognizes the in memory of Newfoundlanders who died German fire. The first wave of the Allied 5. British front line Division’s capture of the Y Ravine and during the First World War with no known attack was unsuccessful. Those waiting to Trenches 6. Danger Tree of both villages during November 1916’s grave. The names include 592 members go in as part of the second wave received 4 7. Wellington Trench Battle of the Ancre. This battle was the of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, 114 new orders to reinforce the 87th Brigade. At P Parking 8. Y Ravine Cemetery last great offensive of the Battle of the sailors of the Newfoundland Royal Naval 9:15 a.m., the 1st Newfoundland Regiment 9. German front line Toilets Somme. A Gaelic plaque on the front of Reserve and 115 merchant mariners. and the 1st Essex Regiment left the St. 10. 51st (Highland) Division Monument 2 the monument reads La a’Blair s’math n John’s Road Trench and advanced. Moving 11. Hunters Cemetery Cairdean, which means “friends are good o 12. Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery N . 2 on the day of battle.” 3 1

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