BILL WESTCOTT
The Compass

Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day, after the actual event it commemorates and Veterans Day, is a special day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War.

It is observed annually Nov. 11 to recall the end of the First World War.

On that date in 1918 major hostilities of war formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month with the German signing of the Armistice.

Wednesday of this week is Remembrance Day. On that day the wheels of commerce and industry usually grind to a halt.

Hopefully, each of us will find a few quiet moments to hold our Poppies near our hearts, bow our heads and remember them.

Eleventh hour 2009

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month (2009) the nation's special Remembrance Day services honouring our fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives in two world wars, the Korean conflict and of late the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will be systematically performed at war memorials all across Canada.

In preparing this column I was reading with interest again stories from More Fighting Newfoundlanders written by Colonel G.W.L. Nicholson C.D. about an early generation of soldiers, sailors and airmen who represented Newfoundland with distinction in the Second World War.

Published back in 1969 by the provincial government, the book is the second Colonel Nicholson wrote about Newfoundlanders who fought in both great wars. His first book was Fighting Newfoundlanders, the history of the famed Royal Newfoundland Regiment in the First World War.

Call answered

In his introduction Nicholson wrote a preface explaining the long history of our involvement in the call to arms.

He wrote: "The long history of Britain's oldest overseas colony and the earliest of her Dominion's is the record of a community whose people have thought it no disgrace to be called unmilitary.

Throughout the years Newfoundland has never sought the spoils to be gained by aggression. Yet whenever the call has come to take up arms for the security of her own shores, or the defence of Mother Country, Empire or civilization itself, the response has been prompt and unforced. In such situations Newfoundlanders might indeed have echoed the words that Shakespeare put into the mouth of King Henry V before Harfleur:

"When the blast of war sounds in our ears,

Then imitate the action of the tiger."

Royal Newfoundland Regiment

Perhaps no other group of soldiers in the history of war ever gave more than the gallant men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

The partially-equipped first 500 volunteers - history now refers to them as the famous Blue Puttees - in 1914 bravely shipped off to the First World War. It was the first contingent of a full front line - a battalion of infantry and a reserve battalion of reinforcements shipped out from Newfoundland. My uncle, Pvt. John Ryan of St. John's was one of them.

The regiment fought with distinction in Gallipoli, France, and Belgium.

In his poignant book Colonel Nicholson wrote: "Of the battle honours of that war which was emblazoned on its colours none is held in prouder or poignant memory then that of Beaumont Hamel, where on July 1 1916 the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, out of 801 Newfoundlanders who heroically assaulted the German positions, 710 became casualties. Later we would learn the Newfoundland regiment earned itself the reputation as one of the best fighting forces of the war to end all wars.

Women's recognition

In more modern times in my own lifetime, the Second World War (1939-1945) recorded more devastating losses of our Canadian sons and daughters.

Colonel Nicholson wrote: "It is important to remember the role of women in and out of uniform who made valuable contributions to both war efforts."

He noted in all three services women from Newfoundland were to be found playing their part. The capable manner in which they carried out their clerical and various other forms of duty, making possible the release of men for overseas service, was remarkable.

Young Newfoundlanders were among the infantry, navy seamen and pilots in savage fights including, the Battle Of the Atlantic, Battle of Britain, Dieppe and Normandy. Some 45,300 Canadians were slaughtered including 1,100 Newfoundlanders.

Outside looking in

Our generation, the baby boomers, knew practically nothing of the torments of war. Being just five years old when the Second World War ended, how could I, for example, know a world at war, the world that my parents brought me into?

Growing up my best friend was my next-door neighbour, the late Bob Benson. A onetime prominent St. John's journalist, Bob was a prolific writer of columns for The Telegram.  He was a scholar who played a huge role in helping laymen like me understand some of the politics of war.  Bob was a living encyclopaedia on Joey Smallwood and a lover of history, Newfoundland's Confederation in particular and literature.

Before his untimely death he wrote a column called: Other wars, other Newfoundland casualties. In it he said July 1 also marks the deaths of many Newfoundlanders who fought in the American Civil War. He wrote: Over 100 years ago, many of our young people went to work in the United States, the Boston States as it was often called, where they found more than they bargained for.

For instance, he wrote, many Newfoundlanders had joined the Union Army and were in the thick of action at various times from 1861 until the North triumphed over the South in 1865 at the end of the Civil War.

He noted Newfoundlanders were in action at Gettysburg, Pa., too, at the July 1-3 1863 battle in which the Northern victory put an end once and for all to the South's hope of becoming an independent slave-holding nation.

In his column, which I kept in my scrapbook Benson also wrote some Newfoundlanders faced a more horrible fate than death on the battlefield.

St. John's farmer Dennis Murphy, for example, age 18 of the 126th United States Infantry, died from starvation and ill-treatment at the infamous Andersonville, Ga. Prisoner-Of-War camp.

Long time ago

It is such a long time ago, 60 years, since my buddy Bob and I played war games in our back gardens sporting wooden Tommy guns carved by my older brother Ray using pieces of scrap wood. I can still hear Bob shout from behind his fort: "rat a tat tat- rat a tat tat- you're dead Bill."

So much transpired before we were born and there was so much we should have been thankful for, but we were far too young to know the difference back in those days.

Since the Second World War with all its tragedies -Newfoundlanders were faced with losses in the Korean Conflict (1950-53) and of late in fighting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

We have so many reasons to remember them on Nov 11.

I will pause to remember, and I will include a prayer for my dear friend Bob Benson. I hope his soul is resting in peace amongst our Newfoundland fallen sons, heroes he honoured and wrote about so often during his all too short life with us.

This Armistice Day, to our war dead we promise:  

In the morning

And with the going down of the sun

We will remember them.

Bill Westcott writes from Clarke's Beach- not too far from its lovely War Memorial.