COMPANY SERGEANT - MAJOR CYRIL GARDNER Company Sergeant-Major Gardner was the only member of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment to be awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), and Bar. This was the highest possible recognition for gallantry in action – second only to the Victoria Cross. The addition of the Bar made it the equivalent of earning two DCM’s. Cyril Gardner enlisted at Trinity into the Newfoundland Regiment on December 22nd, 1914, at the age of 30 – an old man in

Barbed Wire & Shrapnel ^^^ Barbed wire from the Western Front and heavy iron shrapnel found near Ovillers-la-Boisselles, (Somme, Northern France) "If you want the Regiment, I know where they are, I know where they are, I know where they are If you want the Regiment, I know where they are, They're hanging on the old barbed wire I've seen 'em, I've seen 'em, hanging on the old barbed wire. Oh Yes, I've seen 'em, I've seen 'em, hanging on the old barbed wire." - The Marching So

The Seventh Caribou ^^^ The Final Caribou, installed 100 years later on Caribou Hill, Gallipoli “Those heroes who shed their blood in the territory of this country, are in the soil of a friendly country. Here, therefore, rest in peace. You are lying with Turkish soldiers, side by side, in each others’ arms.” - Mustafa Kemal Ataturk In 2021, the 6th (and final) Caribou was placed near Hill 10 Cemetery, in Gallipoli, modern-day Turkey. Twelve Newfoundlanders are buried here. B

The Sixth Caribou ^^^ The Caribou, by (Sculptor) Basil Gotto; " The memorial is that of a large bronze caribou standing on a rocky outcrop, glowering defiantly towards the enemy, bellowing forever for his sons to return back." After the First World War, Father Thomas Nangle, the former Padre of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, was appointed as The Director of Graves Registration and Enquiries, and Newfoundland's representative on the (British) Battle Exploits Committee. In t

An oasis of serenity in a world gone mad ^^^ The Talbot House, otherwise known as Toc H in Poperinge Flanders, is a home away from home, and important and beautiful legacy TOC H – Talbot House – Poperinge During WW1, the ancient city of Poperinge, just 8 km East of Ypres, was part of unoccupied Belgium. The Germans very briefly captured it on October 14 th,1914 – but it was recaptured the very next day. Known as ‘Pop’ to the soldiers, it was a forward base for the Ypres Salie

Tommy Ricketts ^^^ Private Thomas Ricketts, a Boy Soldier who enlisted at the age of 15, became the youngest soldier in the British Army to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the Great War. On October 14th, 1918, while attacking enemy positions near Ledeghem (Belgium), Private Ricketts’ platoon was subjected to heavy hostile fire and suffered severe casualties. Ricketts, and two others, at once volunteered to go forward with a Lewis gun, in an attempt to outflank the enemy

Soldiers who were Boys. ^^^ Private John Lambert enlisted in St. John’s at the age of 16 and was killed in the Battle of Langemarck in August 1917. His remains were not discovered until April 2016 (99 years later.) When Newfoundland and Labrador were preparing to send troops overseas in WW1, recruitment was both quick and successful. However, while British enlistment procedures at the time required recruits to be 18 years old (19 for overseas service), they didn’t require “p

The Danger Tree Replica of the Danger Tree (left). Y Ravine Cemetery in the background. Some suggest that the healthy new trees adjacent to the “Danger Tree” today may in fact be descendants of the original. The Danger Tree had been part of a clump of trees located on the Beaumont Hamel battlefield, about halfway out into No Man's Land. British and German artillery bombardments had stripped the tree of leaves and left nothing more than a shattered trunk. During the Newfoundla

Forget Me Not Legend has it that when God was naming flowers, a little plant called out to Him, saying: "Forget-Me-Not, O Lord.” …..God replied: “That shall be thy name” Before 1949, and confederation with Canada, Newfoundland was an independent British Dominion, and proud of it. As “Britain’s Oldest Colony,” the people of Newfoundland and Labrador proudly exhibited their distinctiveness, as they continue to do today. When World War 1 broke out in 1914, Newfoundland and Labra

Padre Thomas Nangle ^^^ Pictured above by @NLHistory Padre Thomas Nangle was the heart and soul of the regiment. He referred to the men as “ours.” Thomas Nangle was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, on January 4th, 1889. His father died shortly thereafter, and he was placed in a Roman Catholic Orphanage. After attending Seminary in Ireland, he was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest in 1913 and enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment in July 1916 as a Chaplain. As a beloved Padre

1918 – HARELBEKE / COURTRAI ^^^ Pictured above Royal Newfoundland Regiment Crossing the Rhine into Germany, December 13, 1918 Pictured are Capt. Arthur Raley (left) and Lt. Col. A. E. Bernard (right). Courtesy of the Rooms Provincial Archives Division (VA-28-146), St. John's, NL (link) “I was in a dugout with five others…A shell hit…All five except me were killed…the next day they dug me out.” - Private G Hapgood later writes of his experience at Harlebeke 1918 On January 9t

CHRISTMAS 1917 ^^^ Pictured above The Royal Newfoundland servicemen at Christmas in 1915. While the B.E.F. received annual leave for Christmas, the Newfoundlanders had been overseas for 3 years without a chance of leave to see their families. “The manpower situation is so serious that I could not lose the seasoned veterans whose homes were in distant Dominions.” Commander in Chief Douglas Haig, Cambrai, 1917 For the men of The Newfoundland Battalion, their third Christmas aw

The Battle of Cambrai “I don’t care what happens to me now; I have commanded the most wonderful troops in the world, who have fought the best fight any man can see and live. I feel my career has been crowned.” - Brigadier Nelson The Battle of Cambrai was to be the Allies "Great Experiment" using a new approach to warfare. The goal was to break through a ten-kilometre section of the German Hindenburg Line in Northeastern France, with the city of Cambrai as their objective - a

The third Batte of Ypres 1917, and Masnieres ^^^ Langemarck, 1920. The mound in the distance is all that remains of the church. (From Michelin Guide, 1920) Learn more here The Allied failures at Arras in mid-1917, and the French failure at the Aisne, demanded a new strategy for the Western Front. This developed into an offensive through Flanders with the objective of securing the Belgian Coast. Today, we call it the Third Battle of Ypres. The Newfoundland Regiment, which by n

Problems in Scotland ^^^ Ayr Scotland, training base for the newly recruited Newfoundlanders. Read more about Newfoundlanders lasting links with Scotland Once the first contingents of Newfoundlanders had moved from Gallipoli to France, the practice from then on had been to transfer newly recruited troops from Newfoundland directly for training to Ayr, Scotland. But, by mid-1916, cracks began to appear in this system. Much of this was caused by a duality of control over the NF

The Battle of Arras. Part II – The SCARPE ^^^ The Rooms: Outcome at the Battle of Arras for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (source) Because of the heavy losses sustained at Monchy le Preux and Beaumont Hamel, the Newfoundlander’s role could not be expected to be a big one. And so, the remnants of the Regiment had combined with remnants of the British Essex Regiment formed a composite battalion – each contributing 200, all ranks (placed under the Command of Lt. Col Forbes-Rob

The Battle of Arras. Part I – Monchy le Preux ^^^ The Monchy Ten - Every bullet they fired was made to count. On Easter Monday, April 9th, 2017, while the Canadians were capturing Vimy Ridge, the Newfoundlanders, as part of a larger Allied initiative, began a seven-week series of operations which collectively became known as the Battle of Arras. Of great strategic importance was the little village of Monchy le Preux which was built on a summit 200 feet higher than the surroun

October 12, 1916 – GUEUDECOURT ^^^ The Caribou at Guedecourt - you'll notice the remnants of the105 year old Hilt Trench has been preserved and can be seen at the foot of the Memorial After the tragic events of July 1st, 1916 at Beaumont Hamel, the remnants of the Newfoundland Regiment were sent to “a quieter front” near Ypres, Belgium, for a period of re-building. They arrived at Poperinge by train on July 30th and went into the brigade reserve on the East side of the town.

Welcome to Talbot House - your home away from home In this special recording, Simon shares with Sam what his experiences have been like since taking over the historic legacy that is Talbot House - Every Man's Club. We talked about the importance of Talbot House, what Talbot House been like without the visitors they normally receive, and what exciting things we can expect when we get back to visit. We also shared ways that YOU can get involved with the Talbot Housian Associati