06/30/2026
On July 1st, every year, we celebrate Canada's birthday.
In the province of Newfoundland & Labrador, this day is also a day of remembrance.
July 1st, 1916, marked the beginning to the Battle of the Somme during the First World War.
The British Army lost 20,000 men that first morning with another 37,000 wounded, including almost the entire Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont-Hamel.
When roll call was taken, only 68 Newfoundlanders answered their names with 324 being killed, or missing and presumed dead, while 386 were wounded.
The Royal Newfoundland Regiment is where I started my military career back in 1998, which is something I hold near and dear to my heart.
The forget-me-not flowers are often worn as symbols of remembrance of this event, just as many of us wear poppies for Remembrance Day on November 11.
The blue symbolizes the loyalty of those soldiers who fought so bravely, and the flower, which can survive in harsh climates and grow in the tough terrain, represents the strength and courage of those Newfoundland men on the battlefield.
