The Trail of the Caribou
The Royal Newfoundland Regiment memorials
Following the First World War, five battlefield memorials were built in France and Belgium to commemorate Newfoundland’s accomplishments, contributions and sacrifices during the First World War. In 2021, a sixth battlefield memorial—the Gallipoli Newfoundland Memorial – was installed in Türkiye.
With a bronze Caribou featured at each site, these six sites are informally known as the Trail of the Caribou. Together they represent some of the most important moments in Newfoundland's First World War experience.
Background
Did you know?
Newfoundland didn't join Canada until 1949. As a result, Newfoundlanders serving in the First and Second World Wars did so on behalf of the Dominion of Newfoundland as part of the British Commonwealth. Following the First World War, the province built a National War Memorial in St. John's, and designated July 1st as Memorial Day (a tradition still observed today).
The Battle of Beaumont-Hamel in 1916 was a defining moment in Newfoundland history and remains an enduring symbol of the province's wartime experience. Following the First World War, the site of the battle was an obvious choice for a monument commemorating all Newfoundlanders who served, particularly those with no known final resting place.
Commemorative efforts in Newfoundland were led by Lieutenant-Colonel Father Thomas Nangle, a former Roman Catholic Padre of the Newfoundland Regiment, who was appointed as Newfoundland's representative on the Imperial War Graves Commission in July 1919. He was given the responsibility of determining what Newfoundland’s overseas war memorials would be like, and overseeing their design and construction.
By 1921, after negotiating with some 250 French landowners, Nangle had secured the purchase of more than 30 hectares of the ground over which the Newfoundland Regiment had made its heroic advance at Beaumont-Hamel. A far-reaching fundraising campaign followed that encouraged families across Newfoundland to contribute funds to the construction of memorials at home and abroad.
British sculptor Captain Basil Gotto's memorial design featuring a distinctive bronze caribou (emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment), was selected from among 16 proposals submitted to Lieutenant-Colonel Nangle. Six of the sculptures were cast with one installed at each of Newfoundland's five battlefield memorials in France and Belgium and the sixth in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrdor.
Mr. Rudolph H.K. Cochius, a native of the Netherlands living in St. John’s, was selected as landscape architect and supervised the design of all of Newfoundland's overseas memorial sites, as well as Bowring Park in St. John’s.
Related information
The eight Canadian battlefield memorials
Many Canadians gave their lives in Europe during the First World War. These battlefield memorial sites commemorate their sacrifice.
Bulletin board
Find visitor centre hours of operation, contact information, and notices about events or maintenance at Government of Canada memorials in Europe.
Plan your trip
Advice and information to help you plan a trip to visit a memorial in Europe.
FAQs
Find answers to common questions about visiting memorials in Europe.
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