Before joining Canada in 1949, Newfoundland and Labrador was the Dominion of Newfoundland and was automatically involved in World War I when Britain declared war in 1914. A group of volunteers known as "The First Five Hundred," also called the Blue Puttees, set sail for training in England and Scotland, where they played hockey during their downtime before being deployed. The soldiers formed hockey teams and competed against each other and Canadian troops, which helped lift their spirits before heading to the front lines. Tragically, many members of the regiment were lost in battle, particularly at Beaumont-Hamel in 1916, but their legacy lives on through memorials and the hockey jerseys that symbolized their bravery.
THEIR STORY
Before becoming a province in Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador was the Dominion of Newfoundland and fought under the British Crown. This meant that when England declared war in both world wars, the Dominion of Newfoundland was automatically involved in those conflicts. Newfoundland and Labrador wouldn’t join the Canadian Confederacy until 1949.
The United Kingdom declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914. Soon after, a call went for Newfoundlanders to volunteer for the war effort. The first group to go over was dubbed “The First Five Hundred.” They were affectionately named the Blue Puttees, after the color of their puttees, which were leather coverings that protected men from the ankle up to the knee.
Since a large number of military-aged men also played sports in Newfoundland, hockey teams in the area lost many players to the war effort. This also meant that when the men arrived in Scotland, they found an opportunity to form teams and play hockey.​​​​​
HOCKEY NIGHT IN SCOTLAND
They set sail on October 3, 1914, towards England and eventually settled in for training in England and later in Scotland before seeing action on the battlefield.
It was in Scotland, in January 1915, that stories of hockey games began to surface.
In the book “The Fighting Newfoundlander,” soldiers recount,
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In the January 18 1915 edition of the Evening Telegraph, there is a short paragraph stating:
“Offer Hockey Uniforms - The Newfoundland Hockey League has cabled Lieut. Tait at Fort George to get a set of hockey uniforms at the expense of the league. It looks as if there is chance of ice hockey in Northern Scotland.”
In February 1915, the Regiment was stationed at Edinburgh Castle. During this time, it appears that multiple games involving members of the Regiment took place. The Regiment had several men who previously played in the St. John's Senior Hockey League, with the Crescents being the reigning champions from 1910 until 1914. There were enough players from teams in this league, including the Crescents and the Feildians, to form their own teams within the Regiment to play against each other.
The Regiment passed the time with rugby matches against local college teams while in Scotland.
From the book “The First Five Hundred”:
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In the 2014 book “A Blue Puttee at War,” Edward Roberts recounts the background of that game.
“It was a surprise to many of us that Edinburgh possessed an artificial ice rink, patronized every evening in winter by the society folk—men in white tie and tails and women in long dresses—gracefully waltzing and ‘fancy’ skating. Our officers were invited to participate whenever they desired. While the rink was not suitable for hockey, having no sideboards or screens to protect the tea garden surrounding the skating surface, a group of hockey enthusiasts from our Regiment prevailed upon the management of the arena to permit just one game of hockey. A team of Canadians attending Edinburgh University was organized, and one evening they played a team from our Battalion composed of Bob Stick, Len Stick, Ralph Herder, Hubert Herder, Bert Tait, Jack Fox, Charlie Strong, Errol Munn, and Ern Churchill. The Canadians lost fourteen to nothing.”
Colonel Nicholson recounts the action of the game:
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News made its way back home to Newfoundland via the April 14, 1915 edition of the Evening Telegram.
“By the English mail just to hand, we learn of the continued success that the NFLD Regiment continues to meet with. At a big hockey match held at Haymarket Rink between a Newfoundland team and a Canadian team, the former won by 15 goals to 0. The Newfoundlanders comprised the old Crescent team, with the exception of Lieut. Bert Tait. Commenting on the exhibition, a Scotch exchange says:
'Play, which was fast and clean, showed clever combination. The nimbleness and fitness of some of the contestants was remarkable. Almost all the players have represented Newfoundland against Canada. Lieut. Tait has represented Oxford on more than one occasion against Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.'”
Another hockey match between the Crescents and Feildians of the NFLD Regiment occurred, resulting in a win for the Crescents by 9 goals to 8, with Lieut. Rendell as referee. For the Crescents, LC Ralph Burnham, Coral Max Churchill, and Lieut. Hubert Herder were prominent, while for the Feildians, Lieut. T and LCR Stick did splendid work.
The regiment was able to escape on the ice this foreign land, which no doubt raised their spirits before heading into battle.
Scotland was their last place of real refuge; however, the Regiment would soon be shipped off to the battlefront, where many would be killed or wounded.
“The cold weather (in Scotland) was not without benefit,. Crisp, frosty days and nights covered nearby lochs and ponds with ice, and many of the troops indulged in outdoor skating during off-hours and in the evenings."
“But it was in hockey that the Regiment came into its own. Those present at the game between the Blue Puttees and a team made up of Canadians attending Edinburgh University would long recall what the friendly contest did to Edinburgh's only artificial ice rink.”
“A stiff body check into what would have been the boards in a modern arena meant that the recipient usually landed among the potted palms or sprawled at the foot of a statue of Venus de Milo. The real loser, however, appears to have been the tea garden, which by the end of the game had been pretty well reduced to shambles.”
BRAVERY AND SACRIFICE
Many lives were lost in every major conflict the Regiment was sent to, but the most devastating was the battle at Beaumont-Hamel on July 1st, 1916. The Regiment was sent over the top and was essentially wiped out, with 710 men dying and only 68 answering roll call the next morning.
While the war raged overseas, Regiments comprising the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) and the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (RNR) played games against each other for morale and recruitment purposes. Historical records indicate that there were several occasions when teams from these two groups met on the ice. In 1917, the Newfoundland Regiment played against the CEF and Canadian amateur teams in Halifax and Windsor, Nova Scotia, during a 10-week wait for convoy transport to England.
The bravery and sacrifice of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during WWI was a defining moment for the Dominion. 6,241 men enlisted; 1,305 died, and 2,314 were wounded.
Six Caribou monuments are placed at each of the five major engagement sites overseas, with one placed in St. John's. It’s no surprise that the Caribou head would be the logo on the hockey sweater.
Forget-Me-Not
On November 11 of every year, Canadians stop to pay their respects to those who have fallen by wearing red poppies over the heart. ​
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On July 1st of every year, Newfoundlanders wear the bright blue Forget-Me-Not flower to honour their fallen. This date was chosen as a reminder of the hundreds of young soldiers from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who died on July 1, 1916 at Beaumont-Hamel.
