A memorable trip to France and Belgium on the 100th anniversary of the end of The Great War

Photos by Frank Gogos

In June 2018 I was lucky enough to travel to the First World War battlefields of France and Belgium with a group from the Newfoundland branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and a group of high school students from across the province.

We were joined by celebrated First World War historian Andy Robertshaw. This is a series of videos I put together after our trip.

This first video takes us to back to the early morning of July 1 1916, the first day of the battle of The Somme.

Beaumont Hamel holds a special place in Newfoundland and Labrador’s history. It was here that the tiny Dominion of Newfoundland suffered a great tragedy on the morning of July 1, 1916. On the first day of the battle of the Somme 800 Newfoundlanders left their trenches and advanced on the German lines. The Newfoundlanders were wiped out. Only 76 answered the roll call the next day.

The battlefield has been preserved as Newfoundland Park and is a must-visit for Newfoundlanders and anyone with an interest in the First World War. Below is a tour we took in the summer of 2018.

On April 14, 1917, the Germans launched a major offensive near the village of Monchy All that stood in their way was a small force of Newfoundland troops. Historian Frank Gogos tells the story of what happened on that day.

Today Monchy is another stop on the Trail of the Caribou. Here are some scenes from a Remembrance ceremony attended by members of the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the Canadian Legion in the summer of 2018.

In the early 2000’s I came across the story of John Shiwak. He was a young Inuk man from the coast of labrador who signed up to fight. His journey took him from his small community to the battlefields of France where he distinguished himself as a sharpshooter in the Newfoundland Regiment. This is a story I produced for CBC in 2002.