Quipu: Happy Canada Day... and Memorial Day

Today is a day of celebration across most of Canada, but we should never forget that it's also a day of mourning in Canada's newest province.

Image by William C. Grice, from Wikimedia Commons

The Dominion of Canada was officially proclaimed on 1 July 1867, so today Canada is 152 years old. A bunch of us will celebrate the day at a party being thrown by good friends, and tonight will explode with fireworks.

A different sort of explosion dominated the first day of July in 1916. That was the day the British army launched a major offensive along the Somme River in northern France. One of the regiments participating in that attack was the Newfoundland Regiment, part of the 29th Division.

At dawn on 1 July 1916 the Newfoundland Regiment mustered 1,044 of all ranks, with an actual fighting strength of 929 (the other hundred-odd men were administrative and attached personnel). Of those 929, 780 men were detailed to take part in the second wave of the assault. (It was British policy to leave a portion of a regiment out of the line of battle to form a reserve for rebuilding in case of disaster.)

Newfoundland Regiment cap badge
(Wikimedia Commons)

The assault was a shambles from the very beginning, and the second wave should never have been committed. The German defenders were not killed, wounded or even suppressed by the artillery barrage, and their counter-fire was so effective that huge numbers of the second-wave attackers were killed or wounded while making their way to the British lines. In other words, they never even got the chance to attack.

In under two hours the Newfoundland Regiment was essentially destroyed. Of the 780 who attacked, only 68 answered roll-call on 2 July. For a society as small and close-knit as was Newfoundland in 1914, the result of 1 July 1916 was catastrophic. The day became a day of mourning in 1917, and it remains so today. It should be remembered that Newfoundland did not become a part of Canada until the last day of March, 1949. By that time the tradition of observing 1 July as a day of mourning and memorial was well established.

So today, when raising a glass to the anniversary of Confederation, take a moment to raise a second, silent toast to the memory of the Blue Puttees.