The National War Memorial on July 1, 2025, 109 years after the slaughter at Beaumont-Hamel. [Stephen J. Thorne]

Canada Day is forever Memorial Day in Newfoundland

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

On July 1, 1916, nearly 800 members of the Newfoundland Regiment went over the top at Beaumont-Hamel in northern France. A day later, just 68 answered roll call.

It was 9:15 a.m. on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles of a bloody war, and two waves of Allied troops had gone before them.

The lead elements were all but wiped out. Still, the Newfoundlanders, citizens of what was then the hardscrabble Dominion of Newfoundland, were ordered on. And, so, on they went.

“There were no waverers, no stragglers, not a man looked back,” said Major-General Beauvoir de Lisle, commander of the 29th British Division, “it was a magnificent display of trained and disciplined valour, and its assault only failed of success because dead men can advance no further.”

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Canadian astronaught Chris Hadfield reads the new children’s book by the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research. [CIMVHR]

New children’s books shines light on Canadian military experience

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

Representation matters to the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR). That’s why the organization has published a new children’s book series dedicated to families of those they have long supported and cared for.

Adapted from Australian versions created by Marg Rogers, both the originals and their Canadian counterparts address themes associated with military culture, from deployment to relocation to operational stress injuries and more, providing young readers with an age-appropriate understanding of service and its meaning.

The four current storybooks, with four more on the way, pull inspiration from uniquely Canadian aspects of the language, its cultural characters, animals and place settings, which ensures a feeling of inclusively for all readers. Plus, each tale is grounded in the most recent scientific evidence, presenting parents with additional resources for tackling challenging topics with their kids.

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• Chaplain historian highlights Canadian padres of WW II
• Veterans’ post-WW II experience examined in new Canadian War Museum exhibit
• Toronto’s Little Canada unveils Dutch liberation miniature

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