Newfoundland

[The Plummed Goose]

Dear Pals,

I have the following explatation on the nickname of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. This regiment was raised from scratch and suposedly the uniforms were almost homespun, but they were khaki. When the time came to make the puttees they could not find any more khaki broadcloth. Instead they scrounged blue broadcloth, and from that they made the puttees.

Is this correct and if yes is their on official source where this is told (eg Regimental History) ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

eric

[cockney tone]

Eric,

please excuse my ignorance but what is their nickname please?

Regards,

Scottie.

[Bob Coulson]

Eric,

Don't know if it's correct but it is the only explanation I have heard for where the nickname Blue Puttees comes from.

Bob.

[Stephen Nulty]

The Canadian Digital Archives at

http://collections.ic.gc.ca/great_war/articles/regiment.html

seem to support this theory.

[Zipperheads9]

They Started Life as The Newfoundland Regiment .The First Contigent of 560 or so men Wore the Blue Puttees .This was to Conserve all the Khaki serge left for later Drafts

There origanal Shoulder Tabs read "NFLD" They are the only official draft to wear them ,but the name stuck.

The Royal title was granted By the King midway through the war.

[The Plummed Goose]

Thank you all !!

In particular Stephen for pointing out the website to me !!!

eric

[chris.wight]

Eric, there are several other sites with information about the Royal Newfoundland Regiment:

Newfoundland's Grand Banks Geneology Website - Military Records link, has an on-line version of the Regimental history - "The First Five Hundred - A History of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment" which is complete with numerous photos. It also has a long section of military records with photos of men who served in the unit. There are Nominal and Honour Rolls for men of the RNR, and the Newfoundland Forestry Corps. Elsewhere they have a section on war graves again with photos. The battle of Beaumont-Hamel is covered with a Memorial tour with accompanying photos, as well as several nominal rolls. Serjeant Thomas Ricketts, VC, has a section devoted to him.

The Newfoundland Great War Heritage Project link, has a searchable nominal roll for both the RNR, and the Newfoundland Forestry Corps as well as a list of prisoners of war captured (from the RNR) 1916-1918.

[Chris Martin]

Dear Pals,

I have the following explatation on the nickname of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. This regiment was raised from scratch and suposedly the uniforms were almost homespun, but they were khaki. When the time came to make the puttees they could not find any more khaki broadcloth. Instead they scrounged blue broadcloth, and from that they made the puttees.

Is this correct and if yes is their on official source where this is told (eg Regimental History) ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

eric

The first members of the 1st Newfoundland Regiment did indeed wear blue puttees. When war broke out in 1914 the British government asked Newfoundland to provide what ever support they could. The Govener of the Island, Gov. Davidson, pledged a contingent of 500 men raised from the island. The problem they faced in doing so was that after the British army left in the 1860's the island had no military presence except for their naval reserve.

When time came to kit out the volunteers, local sources had to be found for the uniforms, there was not enough khaki serge to make caps, great coats or puttees (if you look at photos of the early days of traning in 1914 youl will see the men in their uniforms with civilian hats, also if you look at photos of the march to embarcation in oct. 1915 the men are wearing Canadian coats, as well the men trained on the Canadian Ross rifle, quickly replaced in England by the Enfield).

The regiment borrowed their blue puttees from the local Church Lads Brigade. These were issued to the men to join the regiment. Consiquently the first 500 men to set sail for England were wearing the blue puttees. The men at the time were not to happy with wearing the blue puttees as they felt it would detract from the professional image they were determined to present. Upon arival in England they quickly found khaki replacements for their puttees. No other drafts were sent abroad with the blue puttees, and they were never worn in combat.

The nickname of the 'Blue Puttees" was a nickname of distinction within the regiment to indicate the vetern soldiers, those being the first to sail to England. They were also reffered to as the 'First 500.' The Blue Puttee eventually became a reference to the entire regiment.

The official regimental history of the First/ Royal Newfoundland Regiment was written by Col. Nicholson and is entitled "The Fighting Newfoundlander.' This information is containd in his work, as well as many other works on the Regiment

[Audax]

Also see

http://ngb.chebucto.org/NFREG/Articles/clb...great_war.shtml

For more on the link between the Newfoundland CLB and the Newfoundland Regiment

[lionboxer]

I've read somewhere of another nickname but I can't remember where. It was the *ucking Five Bobber's as it seems they were paid more than the other units in their division which I believe was 29 Div.

Lionboxer

[Chris Martin]

I've read somewhere of another nickname but I can't remember where. It was the *ucking Five Bobber's as it seems they were paid more than the other units in their division which I believe was 29 Div.

Lionboxer

The Newfoundland Regiment were more than likly paid at a higher rate than the other regiments in the 29th Div., as although they were part of the BEF they were funded by their home government. They drew British kit and rations through out the war but these were paid for by the Government of Newfoundland. The patriotic Association and Women's Patriotic Association of Newfoundland worked hard to raise needed funds to help support the Regiment while it was over seas. The Women's Patriotic Association held a number of events, including a sock knitting program to supply the men with as many basic comforts as they could. Newfoundland socks, so it seems from Newfoundlanders letters and memoirs, were quite the trade commodity especially with the Australian regiments they shared the front lines with in Gallipoli.

The Newfoundland Regiment established quite the reputation through out their service in the war. They became known as tough and dependable soldiers. According to some Australian units, they would fight at the drop of a hat and many refference were made to beware of the boys with the goat on their caps (an honest mistake since there are not to many caribou romaning the wilds of Australia).

From the get go they established themselves as an proud and independent regiment. They were often mistaken to be Canadians, a mistake that annoyed many of the men who were always quick to point out the difference. They were determined to prove themselves on and off the field and eventually developed a distinct style of dress within the regiment. Many of the lads wore Australian britches instead of their Service Dress Trousers, along with adopting a style of wearing their SD Caps on a sharp angle. A hat worn like this was apparently called a 'Speed Cap' by the men. The men were so attached to their personalized order of dress, that when a new high ranking officer ( his name esscapes me at the moment ) ordered them to dress according to regulations, there was a near riot by the Regiment, and the order was recinded. This is not to say that the NFLDers were the only troops to adopt their own style of dress, as clearly ther were not.

[Patrick H]

Chris, very interesting post, and welcome to the forum. I am researching the Essex - 29th Division who fought on the Somme alongside the NFD. Good to have some more information about them

Patrick

[Chris Martin]

Thank you Patrick. I find the actions of the Essex and the Newfoundlanders on the morning of 1 July 1916 to be very interesting. As you know, the Essex and NFLDer's were both given the order to attack by Brigadier General Cayley after the failure of the first wave. What I find interesting is the decissions made by each regiment's commading officer and the out come of such decessions.

I don't know how the orders were preceved by the Essex (hopefully you can shed some light on it for me) but Col. Haddow of the NFLD Rgt. was told to close with the enemy as quick as possible. Haddow, well behind the jumping off point of the frontline trenches and unawear of where the Essex were, asked if he was to move independently of the Essex. He was told to get going right away. The trenches were cloged with the wounded of the first wave and would have taken time to push through so he sent his men over the top from the reserve trenches 300 yards behind their own front lines.

The Essex, as I understand, wisely chose to stay in the trenches and push through to the frontlines. This drasticly reduced the number of casualties they recived before they jumped off but slowed them down for a number of hours. The result of Haddow's decesion ment that the NFLDer's were the only regiment moving above ground on the whole of the 29th Division's front when they attacked. The Essex did attack at a later point and I think the results of the decisions made by each C.O are reflected in the Casuaties recived by each Rgt. There are, of course, a large number of other factors that affected the casualties recived by each regiment, but I think this decission is worth mentioning.

[Patrick H]

The Essex, as I understand, wisely chose to stay in the trenches and push through to the frontlines. This drasticly reduced the number of casualties they recived before they jumped off but slowed them down for a number of hours. The result of Haddow's decesion ment that the NFLDer's were the only regiment moving above ground on the whole of the 29th Division's front when they attacked. The Essex did attack at a later point and I think the results of the decisions made by each C.O are reflected in the Casuaties recived by each Rgt. There are, of course, a large number of other factors that affected the casualties recived by each regiment, but I think this decission is worth mentioning.

Chris

It certainly minimised casulaties until they got to the jump off point but then all hell let loose and the statistics for Essex were not much less than for the Newfoundlanders. Brave men to have continued through all this death and mayhem around them!

Have you been to Newfoundland Park on the Somme ? The trenches occupied by the NFLDers and the Essex are I believe now the car park outside the park itself. Every time I park there I can envisage the bodies of boys from Essex strewn around.

Patrick

[Chris Martin]

Have you been to Newfoundland Park on the Somme ? The trenches occupied by the NFLDers and the Essex are I believe now the car park outside the park itself. Every time I park there I can envisage the bodies of boys from Essex strewn around.

Patrick

Sadly I have not as of yet been able to visit the Park. Unfortunatly my desire to follow the trail of the Caribou so far consistes only of the Bowring Park monument here in St. John's.

In the intrest of a further understanding of the Division and Brigade to which the 1st Newfoundland belonged I have a few questions. Were the Essex a regular force regimrnt prior to the outbreak of war? and what was their strength on the morning of 1 july 1916?

[The Plummed Goose]

Dear Chris,

Thank you for this info.

eric

[Patrick H]

Hi Chris,

The 1st Essex were a unit of the 29th Division 88th Brigade. The 29th had earned the name "the incomparable" at Gallipoli. So yes they were a part of the regular army before the war along with the 2nd Battalion and the 3rd & 4th Territorials. . I guess the battalion would have been at full strength on the first day of approx 1000 men. Also on the Somme that day were 2nd (regular) 9th (Service) 10th (Service) 11th (Service) and 13th (Service)

I cannot at the moment put my hand on the casualty list for the 1st Essex but it was high but not as bad as the NFLders who lost 26 Officers and 658 men a total only exceeded by the 10th West Yorks.

Patrick