Got this link from the Regimental Association via the Regt. Adjutant:
http://www.cbc.ca/greatwar/.
Too bad I'm not a descendant or I'd be applying in a shot.

I'd like to see it when it comes out.And see how much training they give them.

I'm out too, all my familly was in the 2nd WW.

Jim

I wish I could get the time off work...My Great grandfather was at Vimy Ridge and the Somme as an ambulance driver....this would be fun..but alas.. real life takes over again...Damn Reality LOL
Cheers,
B

So if my great uncle was Billy Bishop, does that mean I get to "bash the Hun about in the sky"...or would I have to get in the trenches with the other lads...I was really hoping just to sit in the officers mess and drink, oh yeah and see France.
Cheers
Joker

I am and I did.

My great uncle died of wounds recieved July 1 at Beaumont Hamel. He was a member of the Newfoundland Regiment.

I'm 46, out of shape, working full time, have a family, mortgage, the whole bit. If I'm chosen, my wife will absolutely kill me, but dammit, I'd be off on the first boat. (Wonder if they'd let me wear blue puttees?)

Paul

No blue puttees for 'Canadian' lads, Paul... only those 'Colonial' lads from Newfoundland, who were 'British' troops... ;-)

I also wondered about the inclusion of Newfoundland WWI descendants, as technically your ancestors (and some of mine) fought as British soldiers, and not Canadian, until 1949.

The CBC probably wants 19-20 y/o guys to apply, but maybe they'll take some of us older fellows as 'Boer War vets who signed up for the Big Party'.

While I'm optimistic that this series will be very interesting to see produced, I'm leary about the McKenna involvement following how 'The Valour and the Horror' was handled by them.

Cheers,
JP

I have the same misgivings given the editorial bent of the CBC not to mention the McKennas. Hopefully, this will be the exception rather than the rule.

As an FYI, BBC America is running something very similar to this called "The Trench" Watched a couple of episodes and it is quite well done. Proper equipment, uniforms and so on. Just no live ammo.

We were Dominion troops who fought as part of the British Army. Certainly a nit to pick but we were not completely British troops. Something that galled the Brits was that our guys were paid to the much higher Canadian pay scale and were fed to the much better Canadian standard.

As to the blue puttees, well if things were to be totally accurate, 1/2 of us would be coming home in boxes, so they might be open to a small inaccuracy in the name of including people from the newest province, at least in a small detail. It _is_ TV after all so some political correctness might work in my favour...



That's always been a bit of a problem in trying to study the Regiment's involvement. The Brits don't care because we are now a Canadian province and the Canadians don't care because we were Brit Army at the time. If the Nfld government ahdn't commissioned Nicholson to write "Fighting Newfoundlanders" in the mid 60s, there wouldn't be much formal history of our contribution at all.

Given that the RNR was the only Empire regiment to be awarded the title "Royal" for valour in the field in all of the 20th century, it would seem more than a slap in the face to formally exclude Newfoundlanders from participating on the grounds that we weren't Canadian at the time.



Let's face it, the sympathy vote for an old fart is my only hope, but, as they say with the lotto, you have precious little chance _with_ a ticket, but absolutely no chance without one.

I wonder how many 19/22 year olds a) even know if a "great-" something was in the military of the time and b) even care. I'm thinking if they are really serious about looking for 300 bodies for this lark, the proportion of old farts might actually be rather high.


We'll have to see what they do with the whole thing. I know I'll be watching, that's for sure.

Paul

I applied although I'm in my mid forties I think I'm too old. They want the great grandchildren of participants, rather than the grandchildren so that they are the same age as the original soldiers. I'm trying to get my nephew (a great grandchild) to apply too. I too have misgivings about this as a McKenna venture but I did see a doc. done by him about Normandy which was fair and interesting. He interviewed a Canadian tank commander with 19 Panther kills to his credit. According to this guy, the Panther was quite easy to knock out. All you needed to do was hit it in the mantlet and let the shot ricochet down through the thin armour of driver's and r.o.' s hatch plate.

"As to the blue puttees, well if things were to be totally accurate, 1/2 of us would be coming home in boxes"

If looking at the Regiment's casualties for the entire war, or a much higher percentage if only Beaumont Hamel is taken into account. IIRC, it is said that 'there wasn't a household in Newfoundland that didn't suffer a loss at Beaumont Hamel'. July 1st certainly has two very different meanings in Newfoundland.

"That's always been a bit of a problem in trying to study the Regiment's involvement. The Brits don't care because we are now a Canadian province and the Canadians don't care because we were Brit Army at the time. "

I'm pleased to report that every year, no matter where I've been, the CF has always canvassed for Newfoundlanders to participate in some sort of Beaumont Hamel commemoration. I do believe that much of the formal commemorations are left to the RNR, as is their honour to do so.

I'm hoping that they do include the RNR... up to the McKennas now, I guess.

Cheers,
JP

Oh, absolutely. When you consider that at full strength you were looking at something like 1000 men in the 1st battalion and yet over 5000 men went through the regiment in 4 years, you can see that the number of blue puttees (the first 500 enlistees) serving in 1918 would have been pretty much nil, even without Beaumont Hamel.



Indeed. Growing up in the 60's there was always a rembrance parade on 1 July. What really p*sses me off is that over the last few years the Remberance Day aspect of 1 July has been shunted to the nearest Sunday so it mostly doesn't clash with the celebrations planned for Canada Day. Political correctness raises it's bloody head again.



Within the military it has never been an issue. It's the bleedin' academics and politicians that are the problem, but that's not a unique complaint, is it?



I've had a couple of emails with the person handling the "recruitments" and she assured me that Newfoundlanders were more than welcome to apply. They will be visiting Beaumont Hamel along with Vimy on the trip this fall.

I told her that I wished her well getting young people for the show but to allow me to hope that they fell one older recruit short. I really do wonder what sort of response they are getting from the 19-25 year olds they are looking for and how many of those that apply are NOT from the military?

We'll see...

Paul