Tourism, Culture and Recreation
Finance
July 2, 2014
First World War Remembered Through Annual Pilgrimage
Honour 100 Initiative Continues to Highlight Province’s Role in the Great War
A delegation from Newfoundland and Labrador is in Europe this week to honour the sacrifices of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians during the First World War. As part of the province’s Honour 100 initiative to commemorate those who answered the call to war 100 years ago, the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, along with veterans, members of the Royal Canadian Legion, Royal Newfoundland Regiment, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and youth delegates from all over Newfoundland and Labrador are visiting a number of memorial sites throughout the week.
“Honour 100 was launched by our government to pay tribute to those who bravely fought and died during the Great War to secure freedom for others. Through a number of events such as this pilgrimage to Europe, we will bestow the attention and admiration that is deserving of their sacrifice. We recognize the importance of this war on the identity of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, particularly the Battle of the Somme at Beaumont-Hamel and the significant number from our province who were killed there. We want to ensure their memory continues to be honoured.”
- The Honourable Sandy Collins, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
Minister Johnson laid a wreath at the Menin Gate Monument in Ieper, Belgium. The monument is one of four British and Commonwealth memorials to the missing in the battlefield area of the Ypres Salient in Belgian Flanders. It bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men from United Kingdom and Commonwealth Forces who fell before August 1917 and who have no known grave. The minister also spoke at a ceremony at Beaumont-Hamel on July 1 and laid a wreath.
“It is challenging to articulate the solemnness you experience here. There is a profound sadness for the numerous brave soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice, but there is also an overwhelming pride for their bravery and dedication to the cause. It is an experience which renews your dedication to the memory of those who fought in the First World War, and I am honoured to participate in the pilgrimage with the other members of the delegation, especially the youth of our province.”
- The Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board
The Beaumont-Hamel memorial, along with sites at Gueudecourt, Monchy-le-Preux and Masnières in France, and Courtrai in Belgium, are part of the Trail of the Caribou. As the symbol of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the five bronze caribou statues were established throughout Europe to commemorate the bravery shown by Newfoundlanders during the First World War.
QUICK FACTS
- A delegation from the province is in Europe this week to honour the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who fought and died in the Great War. The delegation includes: the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board; veterans; members of the Royal Canadian Legion, Royal Newfoundland Regiment, and Royal Newfoundland Constabulary; and youth delegates from all over Newfoundland and Labrador.
- The pilgrimage includes wreath layings by Minister Johnson at the Menin Gate Monument in Ieper, Belgium, and at Beaumont-Hamel, France. The remainder of the delegation will also lay wreaths at other sites along the Trail of the Caribou at Gueudecourt, Monchy-le-Preux and Masnières in France, as well as in Courtrai, Belgium.
- The Provincial Government has invested more than $3.6 million for the Honour 100 initiative to commemorate Newfoundland and Labrador’s First World War story, which includes support for the pilgrimage to Europe.
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Media contacts:
| Melony O’Neill Director of Communications Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation 709-729-0928, 689-0928 moneill@gov.nl.ca |
Tansy Mundon Director of Communications Department of Finance 709-729-6830, 693-1865 tansymundon@gov.nl.ca |
2014 07 02 11:55 p.m.