Newfoundland’s Unknown Soldier

Posted on May 18, 2024 by

13 Comments

Just this week it was announced that the body of an Unknown Soldier from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment would be taken back to Newfoundland to become their Unknown Warrior. In this first episode of Season 7 we look at the story behind this and the history of The Royal Newfoundland Regiment in the Great War and their Missing soldiers.

The articles relating to the Newfoundland Unknown Soldier are on the Veterans Affairs Canada website and Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.

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Podcast Extras:

Category: Cambrai, Flanders, Podcast Episode, Somme, WW1 Cemeteries, WW1 History

13 Comments on “Newfoundland’s Unknown Soldier”

  2. Thanks Paul for an epic story brilliantly told. As you know, post Great War, returning servicemen and women were promised a land fit for heroes. This didn’t always match reality and this was particularly true for Newfoundland. According to the information at the Visitor Centre at Beaumont Hamel, Newfoundland was hit especially hard by the economic downturn in the 1920s and 30s; to such an extent that frequent cases of malnutrition were reported. Given the regiment’s losses in WW1 this is especially poignant.

    Thanks also for the brief constitutional history of Canada. I expect that many listeners will be surprised to hear that Newfoundland only became part of Canada in 1949.

    The Gogos book looks very good, but a bit pricey at the moment!

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    • Indeed, by some accounts, the economic downturn of the thirties was made much worse by the large debt taken on to finance the war effort. It resulted in the government becoming bankrupt when the depression hit, in turn resulting in revoking of Dominion status and being governed by a commission appointed by London. This lasted until the union with Canada in 1949. The referendum to join passed by a slim majority of 51%, the alternative offered being a return to self government.

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  3. You dont have to come from either Canada or Newfoundland to really appreciate the Regt’s story and the soon to buried unknown soldier. A superb episode to kick off Season 7 ….and I would be bold enough to say that I think it’s one of the best episodes of OFL. Its one of the many reasons I keep listening. Thank you Paul.

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  4. Thank you Paul…this is an incredible new development…and as you say proves the last chapter has not yet been written. Mike

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  5. Thanks very much for this. The centre picture at the top of this page is of my great uncle, Captain Rupert Bartlett of Brigus, Newfoundland. He fell at Marcoing on Nov. 30, 1917, and is indeed one of those with no known grave.

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  6. The Reserve Forces Day Committee of Wondai in Southern Queensland will recall the Royal newfoundland Regiments efforts at Beaumont Hamel on Sunday 7th of July as part of its Reserve Forces Day Parade and Recognition Service. Although the Royal newfoundland Regiment has an affiliation with the Royal New South Wales Regiment it is considered that the affiliation applies across all Australian Army Reserve formations, at the least on this occasion.

    Australia has had its share of amount of loss encountered by the Newfoundlanders over the period of its military life and can tie itself to fact that its WW1 parent, the 29th Division landed on Gallipoli the same day as the ANZAC’s landed, the further association relates to the August Offensive at Gallipoli when the effort was made to end the campaign with the landing at Suvla Bay which, unfortunately, devolved into a stalemate and during which the Newfoundlanders suffered loss in its attack on Scimitar Hill. The loss to the ANZAC’s during the Offensive to no advantage, was far more than it should have been.

    The Australians came into the line during the second week of the Somme Offensive in 1916 and the Australian 5th Division was first in action and it was at Fromelles down the front line from Beaumont Hamel that its two forward brigades lost more than 5,000 men in a short space of time due to similar circumstances as those encountered by the Newfoundlanders.

    Due to an inability of anyone from the Canadian High Commission being able to attend our Parade on the 7th of July there will be included in our opening address some words of reflection in favour of the Newfoundland Regiment and the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Please convey our warm regards and keen remembrances to our colleagues and friends on the occasion.

    Noel Selway,Secretary, Reserve Froces Day Committee, Wondai, South Burnett Region, Queensland.

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  7. Hi Paul,

    Just caught up with this podcast, I was guiding at Newfoundland Park last Wednesday and got talking about this with the Canadian Guides, they told me that the ‘unknown’ had been exhumed from an unknown cemetery, it had been done at night in great secrecy and done in such a manner that it would be impossible to tell on the ground that an exhumation had taken place, I was also told that all will be revealed on 1st July.

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