The Blue Puttees

The call came from London, for the last July drive
"To the trenches with the regiment, prepare yourselves to die"
The roll call next morning, just a handful survived.
Enlist ye Newfoundlanders and come follow me

So it's over the mountains, and over the sea
Come brave Newfoundlanders and join the Blue Puttees
You'll fight the Hun in Flanders, and at Gallipoli
Enlist ye Newfoundlanders and come follow me
- “Recruiting Sargeant,” Great Big Sea
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knxR-Q2VoBE

Today was an emotional day for many of us as we visited both the Vimy Ridge Memorial and the Newfoundland Beaumont Hamel Memorial.  Beaumont Hamel is a site that commemorates the losses of the 1st Battalion of the Newfoundland Regiment on July 1, 1916, the first day in the Battle of the Somme.  They suffered an 86% casualty rate on that first day.  The troops jumped off at 7:30 AM and where the second wave going over the top that day.  What they walked into was death in massive numbers.  The Great Big Sea song speaks to this huge loss in a touching way and gives a sense of the experiences of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during World War I.

The memorial was quite touching with the Caribou standing above the site facing the direction of the battle.  At the foot of the Caribou’s hill is the memorial for Newfoundland’s missing men, 820 in total.  The list of names includes brothers George and Stanley Abbott.  The brothers did everything together including enlisting in the army and fighting at Gallipoli.  They were not to survive Beaumont Hamel, however and the died here, also together.  After viewing the names on the memorial we made our way to the top of the hill where the Caribou stood and as we approached we heard the sound of singing.  Four older visitors were singing;  "When the time has come and I must go to my land across the sea this lovely isle of Newfoundland will still be calling me/From her pine clad hills and mountain glens to her shores of shingling sand, God bless and keep you as you are ... we love you Newfoundland".  It was moving and gorgeous and so incredibly sad.  The tears were not far off for myself and others at that point.  In the end Beaumont Hamel was everything I had hoped it would be; beautiful and touching, personal and poignant.  Our tour guide Elliot was both informative and relaxed giving us the information without being boring or talking down to us.  It helped that he was our own age and a student whose respect for and understanding of the memorial made the trip that much more enjoyable.


Laura Lutes