On Friday, the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Battle of the Somme, and more specifically the Battle of Beumont-Hamel, was marked with a ceremony at the Canadian War Museum. It was a beautiful day and attendance is estimated to be around the 600 person mark.
The Master of Ceremonies, Herb Davis of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Advisory Council, was host to the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and the Chief of the Defence Staff, as well as other ministers and dignitaries, who also spoke during the ceremonies and laid wreaths. Members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (R Nfld R) were also present.
History books will provide much better analysis of the battles than I can do here. Suffice it to say that the over 800 Newfoundlanders went over the top that day at Beaumont-Hamel and only 68 answered roll call the next morning, having started their attack 200 metres behind their own lines and having to cover an additional 500 metres under murderous German machine gun fire. “It was a magnificent display of trained and disciplined valour, and its assault only failed of success because dead men can advance no further.”.
More than 24,000 soldiers of the Canadian Corps would become casualties during the 4 1/2 month Somme campaign.
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