Back Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial German Mémorial terre-neuvien de Beaumont-Hamel French Beaumont-Hamel (Newfoundland) Memorial Dutch Меморіал Ньюфаундленду в Бомон-Амелі Ukrainian
| Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial | |
|---|---|
| Veterans Affairs Canada Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
 Caribou statue, Newfoundland Regiment Memorial, Beaumont-Hamel | |
| For the Newfoundland Regiment on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme and World War I Newfoundland forces members whose graves are unknown. | |
| Unveiled | 7 June 1925 |
| Location | 50°04′25″N 02°38′53″E / 50.07361°N 2.64806°E near |
| Designed by | Rudolph Cochius (landscape) Basil Gotto (memorial) |
| Commemorated | 814 |
To the Glory of God and in perpetual remembrance of those officers and men of the Newfoundland Forces who gave their lives by Land and Sea in the Great War and who have no known graves. | |
| Statistics source: Cemetery details. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. | |
| Official name | Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | 1996 |
| Official name | Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front) |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, vi |
| Designated | 2023 (45th session) |
| Reference no. | 1567-SE01 |
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 (300,000 m2) 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.[1]
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 in 1921 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 National Historic Sites of Canada located outside Canada; the other is the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Both sites are administered by the Veterans Affairs 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. Since September 2023 the site has been a World Heritage Site being one of 139 locations included in the newly inscribed Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front).[2]
- ^ Hucker, Jacqueline (2012). "Monuments of the First and Second World Wars". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- ^ "Beaumont Hamel receives UNESCO World Heritage status". CBC News. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.