![]() Originally from Newfoundland, John Bernard Croak, volunteered for the Canadian army in 1915. His citation reads that “By his presence of mind in anticipating the enemy intention and his utter disregard for personal safety” Ricketts made a dangerous run across the battlefield to resupply his platoon with ammunition, leading to the capture of four field guns, four machine guns and eight prisoners. Two Newfoundlanders were awarded Victoria Crosses during the war - the highest honour one could achieve in the British Empire forces.Īged just 17, Tommy Ricketts was awarded his VC while serving for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in Belgium in 1918. Winston Churchill, in his position as First Lord of the Admiralty dubbed them “the hardiest and most skilful boatmen in rough seas who exist”. Newfoundland and Labrador forces served with distinction during the war. An estimated 35 percent of all men of military age served in the conflict. Many others served at sea, as part of the Royal Naval Reserve and in the merchant navy, or in the air, often with Canadian or British formations. More than 8,000 enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment, the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve and the Newfoundland Forestry Corps during the course of the war. Newfoundland soldiers of the First World War She was buried in Wandsworth (Earlsfield) Cemetery in London, alongside 17 other Newfoundlanders. She died in November 1918 while treating victims of the Spanish Flu Pandemic after contracting the illness herself. VAD’s were civilian organisations established to provide nursing and patient care to the armed forces of the British Empire.īertha arrived in England in 1916 and worked throughout the war, first at the 4th Northern General Hospital in Lincoln, and then at The Bermondsey institute in London. ![]() In 1916, aged 21, Bertha volunteered with the Canadian Military Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD). Some Newfoundlanders, such as Bertha Bartlett, would volunteer for medical duties. Given its location on the Atlantic coast, Newfoundland has a rich maritime heritage, and so it was only natural that many Newfoundlanders would serve with the navy or on the merchant ships that provided a vital supply link between North America and Europe. Newfoundland was a self-governing Dominion of the British Empire in 1914, and raised a force of volunteers which would become the 1st Battalion Newfoundland Regiment. Read on to discover more about Newfoundland in the world wars and the commemoration of its war dead. ![]() ![]() On land, in the air and at sea, the men and women of Newfoundland and Labrador played an important role in both world wars. ![]()
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