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Distance Marker on Monument at
Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont Hamel |
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| Pte E J Murphy |
During WWI, the Newfoundland Regiment served
bravely and with distinction in Turkey,
Egypt, France, Belgium, Greece, Germany
and Great Britain. Despite its many
courageous battles, it is Beaumont Hamel and the first day of the Battle of the
Somme that was the most devastating for the Regiment and for Newfoundland.
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| Pte F P Woodford |
The Battle of the Somme lasted an horrific 141
days, from July to November 1916. The
Somme offensive, which began one hundred years ago today, on 1st
July 1916, was a terrible failure. By
the time it ended in November, about 400,000 lives had been lost and the Allies
had succeeded in moving the front line just 10 kilometres or about 6 miles.
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| Lieut R Shortall |
As they left their trenches on July 1st, the Allied Forces were mowed down by a barrage of enemy fire. Of the approximately 800 Newfoundlanders who went into battle on the morning of July 1st, only 68 answered roll call the next day.
More than 700 were dead, wounded or missing. It has been said that, as they walked into the
hell of No Man’s Land that morning, the Newfoundlanders tucked their chins in,
as if they were walking into the teeth of a blizzard back home in Newfoundland,
and marched on! The courage of the
Newfoundlanders did
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| Pte J Breen |
not go unnoticed on the front lines. The Divisional Commander, Major General
Beauvoir de Lisle, said of their sacrifice, “It was a magnificent display of
trained and disciplined valour, and its assault only failed of success because
dead men can advance no further.”
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Plaque from St Patrick's Convent School,
Deanery Ave & portrait of Padre Nangle |
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| Pte M F Kennedy |
Among those who died that July 1st, or
from wounds sustained that day, were many young men of St Patrick’s Parish. In 1921, a new St Patrick’s Convent School
opened on Deanery Avenue. This School
was erected as a memorial to the men and boys of St Patrick’s Parish who paid
the supreme sacrifice in World War I.
The school has long gone but, thanks to Fr Wayne Dohey, the plaque which
once adorned the front entrance of the school has been preserved. Alongside a portrait of WWI Chaplain, Padre
Thomas Nangle, it is proudly displayed on the wall of St Patrick’s Church. Thank
you, Fr Dohey, for saving this important part of our School and Parish History.
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| Pte F J Galgay |
We have the names of some of our gallant
parishioners but if you know of one who lost his life as a consequence of the Battle
of July 1st 1916, please send the information to us at mcallistersmith@gmail.com and we will gladly add
it to this post.
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| Forget-Me-Nots |
We remember and pay grateful tribute to all who
gave their lives in WWI but we pay special tribute to these members of St
Patrick’s Parish:
PTE JOHN BREEN, AGE
PTE LEO MICHAEL BURKE, AGE 18
PTE JOHN JOSEPH CAREW, AGE 26
PTE LAURENCE JOSEPH CORCORAN, AGE 33
PTE FRANCIS JOSEPH GALGAY, AGE 19
PTE JOSEPH HOLLAHAN, AGE 26
PTE BERT JACKMAN, AGE 27
SGT MICHAEL FRANCIS KELLY, AGE 26
PTE MICHAEL FRANCIS KENNEDY, AGE 22
PTE RICHARD JOSEPH MADDIGAN, AGE 19
PTE JOSEPH MARTRET, AGE 20
PTE THOMAS MELEE, AGE 19
PTE EDWARD JOSEPH MURPHY, AGE 24
CPL WILLIAM JOSEPH RYAN, AGE 25
LIEUT RICHARD A SHORTALL, AGE 25
PTE FRANCIS PATRICK WOODFORD, AGE 24
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| Beaumont Hamel at night |
"BETTER THAN THE BEST"
