On July 1, 1916, the First Newfoundland Regiment fought valiantly on the first day of the Battle of the Somme near the village of Beaumont-Hamel in France. The fighting was intense, and the regiment suffered heavy losses. Of the 801 men who entered the fray, only 68 answered the roll call the next morning.

Newfoundland National War Memorial, downtown St. John’s. Photo: Rich Blenkinsopp

Newfoundland and Labrador has observed Memorial Day on July 1 since 1917. Since confederation with Canada, the day commemorates the wartime sacrifices of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the First World War and subsequent conflicts.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Memorial Day is held concurrently with the national holiday, Canada Day.

The National War Memorial was unveiled in St. John’s on July 1, 1924. It is now a Memorial University annual tradition to lay a commemorative wreath at the National War Memorial to honour the fallen on Memorial Day.