A YOUNG " BLUE PUTTEE"

I trust I am not overdoing it with the military posts here?  This is the third such post.  (As my late mother-in-law would probably say "over egging the pudding"!)  Every 11th November we remember those who gave their lives in the pursuit of justice and freedom.  Some of us have personal reflections but mostly we remember them collectively.  As this year is the centenary of the official ending of WWI, in the days leading up to Armistice Day I want to tell a little of their personal stories so that we can see them as they were - ordinary people who did extraordinary deeds!  

Michael John Blyde was the son of John and Mary Blyde of 47 Fleming Street, St John's.  He enlisted at St John's on 5th September 1914, Regimental Number 280, one of the illustrious First Five Hundred.  His Attestation Papers tell us that this blue eyed single man was a  "Shoe Cutter"  earning $12 per week.  On 4th October Pte M J Blyde embarked St John's aboard the SS Florizel.

It was about a year before the Newfoundland Regiment was deployed.  In August 1915 word came that they were going to Suvla Bay in the Gallipoli Peninsula.  There they would join the 88th Brigade of the 29th Division of the British Army. Private Blyde was with his Regiment when they disembarked Alexandria on 1st September 1915.  Two weeks later they embarked for Gallipoli.  

280, Pte Michael John Blyde

Gallipoli was a Hell Hole with shells bursting all around. The first Newfoundland casualty came on 22nd September when 21 year old Pte Hugh McWirter was killed by a Turkish shell.  Pte Blyde would not be far behind his comrade. On 26 September 1915, 19 year old Pte Michael John Blyde was killed in action at Suvla, Gallipoli.  He rests there with seven other fallen Newfoundlanders in Hill 10 Cemetery.

Hill 10 Cemetery

Resting place of Pte Michael John Blyde

I am very grateful to my nephew for the use of his photos of Hill 10 Cemetery and Pte Blyde's grave.

LEST WE FORGET

In 1918, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the Armistice was signed, officially ending WWI.  Thousands of young Newfoundlanders made the supreme sacrifice as members of the Newfoundland Regiment or of other Allied forces.  

Many young men who died were members of St Patrick’s Parish.   It was thought that the parish should pay tribute to them in some way.  So it was, in 1921, that the new St Patrick’s Convent School on Deanery Avenue was erected as a Memorial to the men of the parish who died in WWI.

St Patrick's Convent School, Deanery Avenue, erected as a Memorial to the
young men of the Parish who fell in WWI

One of the young men who died in WWI was Private Patrick Holden.  Private Holden was just 19 years old when he died on 29^th January 1916.  Private Holden died of wounds received at Gallipoli.  The Newfoundland Regiment has the distinction of being the only North American unit to fight at Gallipoli. I don’t know for certain but it is very likely that Patrick Holden was one of the young men from St Patrick’s Parish.  I base this conclusion on the fact that he was the son of Joseph and Mary Alice Holden of Southside so he lived in proximity to St Patrick’s.  And, you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out he was a Catholic because the inscription on his gravestone includes the prayer, “May the Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on his soul”.  This young man, like many of his comrades, is buried far from home, in the Addolorata Cemetery, Malta.  Several years ago, while on a visit to Malta, we had the great privilege of placing a small Newfoundland flag on Private Holden’s grave and offering a silent prayer for him.  Perhaps some of you might know more about Private Holden than I do.  I would be very happy indeed to hear from you.  You can email me on mcallistersmith@gmail.com.  

Private Patrick Holden's grave, Addolorata Cemetery, Malta

Those of us who went to the school on Deanery Avenue will remember the plaque on the right hand side of the front door.  Perhaps, because we were children, we didn’t grasp the significance or the poignancy of the dedication.  In memory of those young men, I am posting a photo of the plaque. I am certain the words will have a deeper meaning for us now than they did all those years ago. A quiet prayer for the Newfoundlanders who died in the “war to end all wars” would be fitting too.  Let’s also remember those who have given their lives in the wars and conflicts that have followed since 1918.



The Plaque from the School on Deanery Avenue

For those of you who would like to learn more about the actions of Newfoundlanders in the First World War, a recent book, “The Greatest Gallantry”, tells the amazing true story of ten men who, for eleven hours, withstood hundreds of Germans and held the French village of Monchy-le-Preux.  Nine of the men were from the Newfoundland Regiment and one was from the Essex Regiment.   



A thrilling true story of courage & devotion to duty

Although the author is my nephew, I promise you that I am not motivated by nepotism. “The Greatest Gallantry” is a thrilling story and just another reason to be proud of being a Newfoundlander!

LEST WE FORGET!