“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”- Laurence Binyon
Over the past 100 years, countless Canadian soldiers and service men and women have laid down their lives for Canadians to protect our ideas and provide us with a peaceful and free nation to call home. They fought in muddy fields and on beaches in France. They fought in the cold waters of the North Atlantic and in foreign lands of the Pacific islands. They’ve fought international conflicts in remote deserts and aimed to keep the peace in unfamiliar lands.
Over the past 100 years, countless Canadian soldiers and service men and women have laid down their lives for Canadians to protect our ideas and provide us with a peaceful and free nation to call home. They fought in muddy fields and on beaches in France. They fought in the cold waters of the North Atlantic and in foreign lands of the Pacific islands. They’ve fought international conflicts in remote deserts and aimed to keep the peace in unfamiliar lands.
It is our responsibility as Canadians, and for me, as a teacher, to make Remembrance a part of our regular daily practices both personally and in the classroom.
On July 1st of this year Canadians all across this great country celebrated Canada's 149th birthday, yet in Newfoundland, they celebrated a different, more somber anniversary. 100 Years ago, on July first, 1916, Newfoundland was not part of Canada as they had not yet joined Confederation. Instead, they were still a colony of England and therefore fought alongside them in the First World War just as the young dominion of Canada did.
The Royal Newfoundland regiment was a source of great pride for the province of Newfoundland, boasting several hundred men from the little island. On July 1, 1916, members of the Newfoundland regiment went over-the-top at Beaumont Hamel and straight into German machine gun fire.
The resulting battle was full of chaos and confusion. Members of the Newfoundland Regiment were unsure of their objective and their rifles were no match for the powerful German guns. Unprotected in No Man’s Land, confused and alone, those brave soldiers who did not succumb to machine-gun fire met at the danger tree, the lone tree in the middle of the open space between trenches. Here at this tree, they regrouped and decide whether or not to push on towards the German trenches or to return to the safety of their own.
Of the over 800 Newfoundland men who went over-the-top that day, only 68 answered roll call the next morning.
The regiment was decimated.
The fear these boys must have felt is incomprehensible to me. Even standing in the middle of that same field last summer, I couldn’t quite grasp the magnitude of what had occurred there all those years ago.
Trying to make these numbers a reality for my students this fall as we explore the First World War was also a challenge. Slowly but surely as we investigated the lives of some of the men who fought and died at Beaumont Hamel, they began to realize the true sacrifice they soldiers made all those years ago.
On the site of Beaumont Hamel today stands a monument dedicated to the brave men of the Newfoundland regiment. The names of the fallen and missing are inscribed on the monument and the Newfoundland stag, the emblem of their regiment, stands proudly atop the monument ever looking towards home and as a reminder of those who never made it back home.
On July 1st, on Remembrance Day, today, and everyday Canadians will remember their sacrifice. This November, invite you to wear a poppy, thank a veteran, and remember their sacrifice.
Lest We Forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment