Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

France / Picardie / Beaumont-Hamel /
 memorial, battlefield, First World War 1914-1918
The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial is a memorial site in France dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during World War I. The 74 acre preserved battlefield park encompasses the grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on 1 July, 1916 during the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

The Battle of the Somme was the regiment's first major engagement and during an assault that lasted approximately 30 minutes the regiment was all but wiped out. Purchased by the people of Newfoundland, the memorial site is the largest battalion memorial on the Western Front and the largest area of the Somme battlefield that has been preserved. Along with preserved trench lines, there are a number of memorials and cemeteries contained within the site.

Officially opened by British Field Marshal Earl Haig in 1925, the memorial site is one of only two Canadian National Historic Sites located outside of Canada. The memorial site and experience of the Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont-Hamel has come to represent the Newfoundland First World War experience. As a result, it has become a Newfoundland symbol of sacrifice and a source of identity.

www.flashearth.com/?lat=50.074677&lon=2.650348&z=16&r=0...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaumont-Hamel_Newfoundland_Memorial
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   50°4'28"N   2°39'2"E

Comments

  • Hi typhoon. I edited the polygon shape to take in the entire memorial park, and also added the "battlefield" category, but did not change your (great) description and photos, hope you don't mind.
This article was last modified 11 years ago