Beaumont Hamel: Newfoundland Park

by Nigel Cave

Supported by maps and photographs, this guidebook describes the fighting that took place around Beaumont Hamel, one of many villages along the Western Front of World War I.

The Dominion of Newfoundland purchased Newfoundland Park after the war, a decision which led to the creation of the finest trench park on the Western Front. The park was named to commemorate the Royal Newfoundland Regiment’s tragic part in the action of July 1, 1916; the eighty-acre site included most of the ground over which the regiment attacked.

Today, Newfoundland Park is a memorial to all the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who fought in WWI, including those who have no known grave. It is one of only two Canadian Historic Sites outside Canada.

Genres: War

185 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Michael Koch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book on the Great War was written in 1968 by Nigel Cave. The book seems positioned as the first book written about the Newfoundland soldiers on the Somme. Newfoundland’s tragedy at Beaumont Hamel in the Battle of the Somme, is covered by many writers as part of that battle. Without being too pedantic much has been written about the battle of the Somme. That includes much broader books covering Corps, Divisions and Brigades. This book also covers other battles where the Newfoundlanders fought. It also includes units immediately adjacent to the Newfoundlanders at this and other battles including even the Dardanelles.


One of the major differences between themselves and Canadians could be that the Canadians, by policy, were trained and pushed up the chain of command as soon they were capable. Only Canada and Australia were able to post Corps Commanders of their own, over their own infantry. Newfoundland officers were never promoted to Brigade or Battalion. Their units were small and officers never able to learn or practice with larger units. Another possible situation precluding more senior leaders is the fact that Newfoundland was technically no longer a Dominion (The title was retained). There were no senior political leaders, no visibility of its military and no locals to promote or train officers. This situation continued into the Second World War although one big difference could be the major use of civilians at the Gander and Goose Bay Airports and perhaps, the use of Newfoundlanders in support of the submarine war.


The Newfoundland Park property was purchased by the Dominion of Newfoundland after the war. This decision led to the creation of the finest trench park on the Western Front. The park commemorates the Royal Newfoundland Regiment’s tragic role in the action of July 1, 1916. The eighty-acre site includes most of the ground over which the regiment attacked.


While tending to be heavy on detail, this book provides a reasonable addition to collections held by Newfoundlanders, Canadians and British. While not containing much detail on the Canadians, it provides useful historical content to help Canadians understand Newfoundland before it became a Province of Canada. People researching the broader British Army should visit the Newfoundland War Memorials in France and Belgium. Three Stars

[Chiyaa Pasal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was somewhat of a challenge to read even knowing it was written as a guide to Newfoundland Park and the surrounding area with respect to the Battle of the Somme.

I felt the author flipped too much between being a tour guide (wear good boots, take this route) to providing a surficial overview of the battles to quoting various personal accounts from soldiers or war diaries to add detail. In the end it is jumbled up (particularly the latter two components) without adding clarity.

As a guidebook, I was expecting to be literally walked though the site and battles. I found though that while he touched on many areas and gave overviews of the main battles and/or regiments / battalions fighting, it didn’t seem clear. I realize his job was not to provide a complete history of the Battle of the Somme but as a guide to that area I was expecting a more clearly written account.

I liked the facts presented and particularly the personal accounts but felt the book would have benefited immensely from a major edit. Essentially, I feel the book should have been in 3 sections: 1) a guide to the area and preparations, 2) a walk through the site and battles, and finally 3) the personal accounts. To me, the personal accounts should have been asides to add depth to the main overview as opposed to being used to actually tell the story. In the end it was too jumbled together to be clear.

[James Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Primarily a guidebook for those wanting to visit Newfoundland Park at Beaumont Hamel, France, there is a lot of different facts and stories in here to interest an armchair historian of the Great War.
My full review is here: http://miramichireader.ca/2016/03/bea...