Netherlands prepares for burial of its unknown soldier in solemn memorial ceremony

July 1st has always been a somber day in Newfoundland and Labrador, and this year it will be particularly poignant for two specific reasons.

This day was observed as Memorial Day for decades, long before Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949, and served to commemorate soldiers killed or wounded in battle.

Of the 780 members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who went on the offensive at Beaumont-Hamel in France on July 1, 1916 – the beginning of the Battle of the Somme – only 110 survived and only 68 were available for roll call the following day.

A burial ceremony will take place in St. John’s on Monday for Newfoundland’s unknown soldier, whose remains were transported from northern France on May 25.

In addition, the annual Memorial Day ceremony celebrates the centenary of the National War Memorial in downtown St. John’s, which was first unveiled by Field Marshal Douglas Haig in 1924.

“It’s really important to be here and represent all the people who fought in the war,” said Jennifer Fleming, whose great-great-grandfather was part of the so-called “First Five Hundred,” the group of soldiers who were the first to enlist and go overseas in October 1914.

“These brave men who went over and didn’t come home. I think it’s important that we are there for them,” Fleming said.

“I think it’s quite appropriate that Newfoundland is represented by the unknown soldier because so many of them never returned,” said Walter Peddle, one of the people who arrived hours in advance to attend the ceremony.

“It’s pretty touching,” said Dennis Goodyear, who described himself as a 30-year veteran.

“My grandfather served with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and was wounded in World War I (and) was lucky enough to come back,” he told CBC News. “As long as that young gentleman is home, that’s the main thing. It’s not up to me. It’s up to him.”

The National War Memorial has been undergoing renovation for months. One of the main focuses of the restoration work is to restore the statues to their original elegance.

Hundreds of military personnel will march to the war memorial while the hearse carrying the unknown soldier drives through the city.

• CBC News will broadcast live Memorial Day coverage Monday from 9 a.m. NT (7:30 a.m. ET) to 12:30 p.m. Watch it on CBC Television, visit cbc.ca/nl or watch CBC Gem.

Since Friday, the unknown soldier has been lying in state in the Confederation Building, the seat of government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thousands of onlookers will flood the streets and even more are expected to watch the nationally televised coverage.

Two external viewing parties will take place in the cultural complex “The Rooms” and in the Sheraton Hotel.

Among the dignitaries in attendance is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who will deliver a speech.

Repatriation was just a dream a century ago

It is a moment that has been a long time coming.

The repatriation of Newfoundland’s unknown soldier began in 1920 with Thomas Nangle. Nangle, who had been the regiment’s Roman Catholic chaplain, later served as Director of War Graves Registration and Investigation in Newfoundland and as the country’s representative on the Imperial War Grave Commission.

But his wish was not fulfilled until a century later, when Frank Sullivan, a 40-year-old Navy veteran, took up the torch to complete the task. He was there every step of the way, even standing at the front when he attended the repatriation ceremony at Beaumont-Hamel in May.

Sullivan’s great-uncle, Pte. Charles Canning, served with the regiment in France and was killed in 1918. His grave is unknown.

The man chosen as the Unknown Soldier will remain unknown so that he can represent all Newfoundlanders who did not return home from World War I and whose graves are unknown.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push notifications from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.