Newfoundland and the Great War *Worth A Read or Two*

[EvanL]

This text was published in 1950. For the full citation, see the end of the article. Parts in brackets [...] and links have been added to the original text by Claude Bélanger.]



In proportion to wealth and population, Newfoundland's contribution in the First World War was outstanding. Approximately 8,500 men were enrolled, nearly 7,000 in the Newfoundland Regiment and Forestry Corps, the remainder in the Royal Navy. Casualties were extremely high. In the Newfoundland Regiment about 1,300 were killed and over 2,300 wounded; of those who enlisted in the Royal Navy about 180 lost their lives and 125 were invalided home.



Of the men in the Naval Service, the Cambridge History of the British Empire says: -



The seamen of Newfoundland had long been known in the Navy as efficient and resourceful, but the end of the War left them with a greatly enhanced reputation. They readily undertook almost impossible boarding operations in wild seas which others would not face. Nothing but praise was accorded by the Fleet.





The great test of the Newfoundland Regiment came at ********-Hamel in the Battle of the Somme, on July 1, 1916. They went into action 753 strong; only 68 answered the roll call next day. A memorial to the fallen stands on the field of ********-Hamel and on Commemoration Day [1] the people of Newfoundland gather at their war memorials in remembrance.



The War brought an unparalleled boom. Prices of fish rose to unprecedented heights and catches were unusually good. Employment and business turnover were high. A spirit of optimism, combined with a generous patriotism, induced the Newfoundland Government to undertake financial responsibility for Newfoundland troops sent overseas. This added greatly to the costs of government. The public debt was increased by $10,000,000 and provision for war pensions proved to be a continuing burden. There can be little doubt that this addition to debt and overhead was an important factor in bringing about the financial crisis after 1930.



The end of the war boom brought a sharp collapse. There were many business failures; export prices of fish fell, between 1920 and 1923, to one-half their former level and direct relief was needed in many communities. Recovery was gradual but by 1929 Newfoundland was again enjoying a mild boom. Fish prices had recovered to higher levels than before the War. The opening of a new pulp and paper mill at Corner Brook in 1925 had led to considerable expansion on the west coast and tripled the export value of forest products. Although the Nova Scotia steel industry languished during the late 1920's, exports of iron ore to Germany and Holland and rising prices more than made good the loss so far as Bell Island was concerned. In 1928 the copper-zinc-lead mine at Buchans was brought into production. In 1930 total exports exceeded $39,000,000 as compared with about $19,100,000 in 1922. The economy remained nonethe*less highly dependent on external markets. [For a discussion of the situation of Newfoundland in the 1920's, consult this site.]

[1] July 1, if a Sunday; otherwise the nearest Sunday to July 1.

Back to Newfoundland History

Source: GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, Newfoundland . An Introduction to Canada's New Province, Published by authority of the Right Honourable C. D. HOWE, Minister of Trade and Commerce, prepared by the Department of External Affairs, in collaboration with the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Ottawa, 1950, 142p., pp. 15-41.

[EvanL]

Managing the War Effort

When war broke out on August 4, 1914, the Newfoundland government faced what was in many respects a management problem. Men were wanted. Since Newfoundlanders were chronically underemployed, men could be supplied. A decision to raise 500 soldiers for overseas duty plus a home defence force to furnish reserves was announced within four days.

How the government of Prime Minister Edward P. Morris could enlist, train and equip these men was not immediately apparent. The last British soldier had left in 1870 and no local militia had emerged in the meantime. The government had no military department, nor experienced civil servants to spare. It had few financial resources. Aside from a branch of the Royal Naval Reserve, in St. John’s there were four church-sponsored cadet corps, a branch of the non-denominational Legion of Frontiersmen, and a rifle club.

Apart from the lack of military expertise, Morris’ hold on the electorate was shaky. His People’s Party had won only 41 percent of the popular vote in the 1913 election, and its support was regionally and denominationally based. It was obvious that in order to raise a military force the government would need the support of both opposition parties, Liberal and Union, and the three church leaders, Anglican, Methodist and Roman Catholic.

Morris was confident his government could meet its commitment. Newfoundlanders—at least those in St. John’s and surrounding areas—supported the war effort, and not to answer Britain’s call was inconceivable. Governor Sir Walter Davidson was prepared to take the lead, with Morris working behind the scenes. At a public meeting on August 12, Davidson established himself as head of what became the Newfoundland Patriotic Association (NPA). This was a non-partisan, extra-parliamentary body which quickly grew from its original 55 St. John’s members to 300 island-wide. Its initial purpose was to raise and equip a military force of 500 men plus reserves. After that, its responsibilities grew to encompass most aspects of the war effort. Various committees did most of the work, but major decisions had first to be approved by the NPA, the prime minister and opposition leader J. M. Kent (later William F. Lloyd).

The NPA managed the war effort for nearly three years, with generally good results. It was a complex but flexible arrangement that drew on available military, business and professional expertise, enjoyed the support of those who most counted, and kept potentially disruptive forces at bay. But by the spring of 1917 it was clear that if the Newfoundland Regiment was to be maintained as a fighting force, the colony’s elected representatives had to do more, particularly with respect to recruitment. In July 1917 the National (coalition) Government was created, which included a Department of Militia.

As the department gradually took over the various war-related tasks, the NPA faded into the background. At the end of hostilities it resurfaced to address the question of a war memorial.



Newfoundlanders at War

Newfoundlanders served on land, at sea, in the air and in the nursing services. They served willingly (no conscripts served overseas), fought hard, and died hard. Nearly 12,000 enlisted in the three Newfoundland forces—the Newfoundland Regiment, the Royal Naval Reserve and the Newfoundland Forestry Corps—and the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). They represented nearly 10 percent of the total male population, or 35.6 percent of young men between the ages of 19 and 35.

The initial decision to raise a land force of 500 men was based on the view, widely shared, that the war would be won on land rather than at sea. The British Army was based on fighting units (battalions) of 1,080 officers and men, plus reserves of 50 percent, and the pressure to achieve combat strength proved irresistible.

Assigned to the 88th brigade of the 29th Division, the last infantry division formed during the war from regular battalions of the British Army, the Newfoundland Regiment distinguished itself on a number of occasions—******** Hamel, Gueudecourt, Monchy, and Cambrai. Twice it was nearly annihilated. By the end of the war 6,241 Newfoundlanders (only Newfoundlanders were eligible) had joined its ranks. An additional 3,296 Newfoundlanders joined the CEF.

At sea, 1,964 Newfoundlanders saw active service in the Royal Naval Reserve. Only seamen and fishermen were eligible. Naval Reservists were integrated with British forces and scattered throughout the Navy on literally hundreds of vessels. Unlike the men of the regiment, they had no opportunity to make a name for themselves as an identifiable Newfoundland fighting unit, and were consequently overshadowed.

Also at sea, but not as combatants, were the 505 Newfoundlanders known to have served in the merchant marine. Of these, 102 died.

Nearly 500 Newfoundlanders, skilled loggers and mill workers, enlisted in the Newfoundland Forestry Corps. It expressly excluded single young men eligible to enlist in the fighting forces.

Newfoundlanders at war sustained massive fatality and casualty (dead plus wounded) rates. Fatalities claimed one quarter of the regiment’s overseas force. Casualties stood at 72 percent, or 58 percent of the nominal roll. Rates for the Royal Naval Reserve were lower. The long-term effects of the loss of so many young lives, compounded by the number of wounded, disabled and diseased, were substantial.

Newfoundland women also served overseas in the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD), providing nursing services.

[oldsoak]

Hardy folk - but then anyone who earns a living from the sea isnt a softie.
Fair dues to them.

[vryhpyammoadded]

Lordtunderingeezbye! ;)

Newfee's Luv em

[Lokos]

I don't know about the reading being worth a second time around, but I'll definitely say the Newfoundlanders were ass kickers in the Great War. Go the Commonwealth.

(Go the ANZACs!)

Lokos