Station 4 – Forget-me-not flowers

Memorial Day has been observed annually in Newfoundland since July 1, 1917 to recall the losses of approximately 700 soldiers of the Newfoundland Regiment from the Dominion of Newfoundland at Beaumont-Hamel during the Battle of the Somme of the First World War. Since Newfoundland became a part of Canada in 1949, ”Memorial Day” is observed concurrently with Canada's national holiday, Canada Day. However there are other ways Newfoundlanders remember as well.

It was also decided one year after that first day of the Battle of the Somme that the tiny forget-me-not flower would be made the flower of Remembrance. It was to be worn on Memorial Day, on July 1st. Shown here is a Newfoundland soldier holding forget-me-not flowers.

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador traditionally observes Memorial Day during the morning of July 1st at the National War Memorial and cenotaphs around the province, flying the Union Flag at half-mast. In the afternoon and evening they celebrate Canada Day.

The tradition began on Memorial Day, July 1, 1924, when the National War Memorial in downtown St. John’s was unveiled by Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig. The term ”National” refers to this monument being built by the Dominion of Newfoundland as a nation, before it became part of Canada.

Construction of the memorial was supervised by Lieutenant-Colonel Father Thomas Nangle, the Padre of the Newfoundland Regiment during the First World War.

In 1921, Thomas Nangle also arranged with the Government of Newfoundland to purchase land in France and Belgium where their men died. There are now five Newfoundland memorials located in France and Belgium. At each location there is a bronze caribou, to remember the Newfoundlanders who served and died.

The largest of the overseas monuments is the Beaumont-Hamel monument in France. The memorial was unveiled at the official opening of the site by Field Marshal Haig on June 7, 1925. Here, Field Marshal, Earl Douglas Haig and Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Nangle lay wreaths at the Caribou War Memorial to the Missing, at Beaumont-Hamel.

Memorial University of Newfoundland began as Memorial University College, which opened in September 1925 in St. John's. The college was established as a memorial to the Newfoundlanders who had lost their lives on active service during the First World War.

This is a picture of the statue of ”The Fighting Newfoundlander” located in Bowring Park, St. John’s Newfoundland. The statue is of a soldier throwing a grenade. It was unveiled on September 13, 1922. It is another reminder of the many Newfoundlanders who sacrificed their lives during the First World War, especially at Beaumont-Hamel on July 1, 1916.

“The Fighting Newfoundlander” statue was sculpted by Captain Basil Gotto, the same artist who sculpted the 6 Caribou memorials that stand at five different battlefield sites in France, and at Bowring Park in Newfoundland.

Newfoundlanders were still serving after the tragic loss at Beaumont-Hamel. They were sad to have lost so many of their good friends in that battle. To boost their spirits, a Canadian officer serving in England presented their regiment with a Newfoundland dog. They named him Sable Chief, and he was known to march along with the troops, and he stood at attention during the playing of the Newfoundland Anthem! He was a mascot to the troops and often visited wounded soldiers. Here is a painting of Sable Chief, lying on the battlefields of Beaumont-Hamel, with forget-me-not flowers in the front and the caribou monument in the back.