Local veteran visits war memorials in France

Charles Jean said looking over the fields in France - where battles were once fought by members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment - was a sad and emotional experience.

Mr. Jean was one of four veterans chosen to attend an annual pilgrimage to Beaumont Hamel, sponsored each year by the provincial government.

Mr. Jean, a veteran of the Korean War and member of the Royal Canadian Navy, attended memorial services at five Newfoundland Regiment memorial sites, including the site of the Battle of Beaumont Hamel.

Other veterans attending the trip were a WWII Royal Navy veteran, a WWII Royal Air Force veteran and a Royal Canadian Regiment Korean War veteran.

Mr. Jean said attending the memorial services was an emotional experience.

"We had to lay the wreaths at memorial services at five different memorial sites where Newfoundland-ers are buried," he said.

"In my mind, all of the cemeteries are all very sad when you see. First of all, when you see unknown soldiers with unknown graves and the ages of them 15, 16, 17..."

The four veterans were given the honour of placing a wreath at each of the memorial sites they visited. Mr. Jean says he laid his at the Gueudecourt Memorial, which marks the furthest advance of the Newfoundland Regiment on Oct. 12, 1916.

"They all had a caribou, the same size - as a big caribou," said Mr. Jean of the five memorial sites they visited.

"All were very well kept."

Mr. Jean said the July 1st memorial service at Beaumont Hamel was well attended.

"There were representatives from France, guards of honour, pipers - it was quite big. The national anthem of France was played, O Canada, the Ode to Newfoundland was sung and of course, God Save the Queen."

He said the ceremony came to a close with two minutes of silence and a regimental pipe band played the last lament.

"That was sad," he said.

A personal highlight of the trip for Mr. Jean was the chance to also visit the Canadian war memorial at Vimy, where Canadian soldiers fought during WWI.

Mr. Jean, who originally hails from New Brunswick, was hoping to find the grave of his uncle, who died in the Battle at Vimy Ridge at the age of 18.

"We always thought he had a grave at Vimy, but could find no trace," he said.

"He has an unknown grave, so therefore his name is etched on the wall at Vimy."

He said it was a very emotional experience to see the number of soldiers in unknown graves.

"It made you stop and think. Those young men were never able to finish high school ... if you go to the branch here, you'll see a picture of a 14-year old from Port au Port who died at Beaumont Hamel. I wonder what they would say if they had a chance to talk to high school kids today - if they saw their behaviour," he said.

"I could just hear it, that's why it's so sad. They never had a chance to finish high school."