"It was a magnificent display of trained and disciplined valour, and its assault only failed of success because dead men can advance no further.” – General Beauvoir de Lisle on the Royal Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont Hamel.
July 1st is Canada Day but a bittersweet day in Newfoundland and Labrador. Ninety-four years ago today the 1st Newfoundland Regiment was virtually wiped out at Beaumont Hamel during the Battle of The Somme. Royal was bestowed by King George V in 1918 - the only Regiment in the British Army to achieve this distinction during World War One.
From the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage website.
In less than 30 minutes it was all over. At 9:45 a.m., Hadow, who had witnessed the annihilation of his regiment from a forward position, reported to Brigade Headquarters that the attack had failed. Incredibly, he was ordered to collect up any unwounded and resume the attack. Fortunately, wiser counsel prevailed and the order was countermanded. Throughout the day survivors attempted the long and dangerous journey back to their own lines, many being an easy target for enemy snipers and artillery fire. Ron Dunn lay wounded on the battlefield for several days. On the second day, convinced that he would soon die, his thoughts turned homeward to Bonavista Bay and his mother. “I said me prayers,” he recalled, and then drifted off, unaware that rescue was on the way (Memorial).
That night the search began for survivors. When the roll call was taken, only 68 responded. The full cost would not be known for several days. The final figures revealed that the regiment had been virtually wiped out: 710 killed, wounded or missing. Most were struck down before they reached beyond their own front line
Here's a video depicting the Royal Newfoundland regiment’s monument at Beaumont Hamel.
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