Canada Day also falls on the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme at Beaumont-Hamel and a memorial is held for all Newfoundlanders who fought in the war. It was Andre’s first on site ceremony, and they have been in preparation mode for weeks. He left early in the morning, and I was able to catch a ride later in the day from some visiting family members of Andre’s co-worker.
It was a very hot day at Beaumont-Hamel. We had arrived around two with more then enough time to tour the site before the ceremony, which started at 4:00. It is a very impressive site with much of the trenches still preserved and intact. Because of the hazardous nature of the landscape sheep are used to cut the grass.
"The sheep keeping cool in the shade"
At four o’clock the ceremony begun with the entrance flag bearers and bag pipers. Short speeches were given and the wreaths were lain at the foot of the monument. The ceremony ended with the Newfoundland provincial anthem the national anthems of England, France, and Canada. It was a beautiful ceremony, and amazing to see the attention, dedication, respect, and effort that is placed in commemorating the loss of World War I.
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