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Setting Themselves Apart
The first Newfoundland troops joined the Canadian Contingent convoy as it
left for England. Originally the Newfoundlanders were supposed to train on the
muddy cold plains of Salisbury with the Canadians but they were rerouted to other
training facilities in Scotland. That helped differentiate the Newfoundlanders
from the Canadians, which was a point of pride for the men. Their first assignment,
which didn't come until a year into the war, set them apart even more. The Newfoundland
Regiment was sent further from home than any of them had ever been, to Egypt
and eventually Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli Peninsula. On September 19, 1915, the
Newfoundland Regiment was assigned to the 88th Brigade as part of the 29th Division
of the British Army. In the early months of their assignment the men built trenches
and kept watch, but by the end of a brutal winter that challenged even hardy
outporters, they had
seen battle (at Caribou Hill in November) and
had assisted with troop withdrawals. |
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