The following statement was read in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador:

Veterans, dignitaries and distinguished guests, as the 14th Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, it is my most distinct honour and privilege to rise in this Honourable House to speak about the Repatriation of an Unknown First World War Soldier and share the speech I made on Friday evening.

The name Beaumont-Hamel is spoken with a sense of melancholy in our province.

But with an even deeper sense of pride.

For every Newfoundlander and Labradorian, it is sacred ground.

In a leafy corner of Bowring Park there’s a sculpture called “The Fighting Newfoundlander.”

His right arm is cocked back, caught in mid throw of a grenade.

His left arm holds his rifle with a fixed bayonet.

Around his neck is a gas mask.

Beneath a push broom mustache, he looks confident. Intent. Ready.

The man who posed for this sculpture was Corporal Thomas Pittman from Little Bay East in Fortune Bay.

A tiny corner of our world.

Thomas was injured in the Battle of the Somme but made it through the war to come home.

Thomas was one of the lucky ones.

The statue he posed for, while stationed in England, is more about those that did not make it back.

Those who gave their lives fighting for something they felt was bigger than themselves.

That’s the essence of sacrifice.

That is bravery and courage.

That is being a hero.

Hundreds more like Thomas Pittman answered the call.

They proved their mettle in places like Monchy-le-Preux, where just 10 of them held off an advancing German army for over 11 hours before being relieved.

The Newfoundland Regiment was the only regiment to be given a Royal title by then King George V.

No other regiment of the British army was to have such a distinction awarded to it during the First World War while fighting was still in progress.

But great valour came with a high cost.

In graveyards and memorials across Europe, many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are among those tombs bestowed with the words “known unto God.”

But they are known to us.

Our brothers. Our heroes.

They came from tiny communities, towns and ports from across the province where today many memorials list the names of those who never returned.

This soldier is one of them.

A name etched in stone.

Etched in the heart of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Through the crack of artillery, the rumours of gas, I wonder how often he thought of home.

Longed for that kind of quiet that comes when you’re embraced by the craggy cliffs or hear a breeze drift across the barrens.

I wonder how often his family hoped for word from him but feared the news from the front, so far away.

In the long days, weeks and years that followed, I’m sure they dreamed that somehow,

some way, he would make his way home.

On Saturday, we fulfilled that dream.

To symbolically answer the long-ago prayers of many families across Newfoundland and Labrador, we began the journey to bring “one of ours” home.

While his journey started over 100 years ago for this young man. It was only a couple of days ago that I had the privilege and honour to stand alone with my family and him and reflect on the impact of lost sons and family members.

I felt his family’s fear.

I felt his family’s loss.

I felt his family’s need to bring him home.

It shook and moved me to tears.

July 1st is Canada Day and across our big nation there are celebrations and fireworks.

But in Newfoundland and Labrador, the day is also a day of mourning.

It marks the great sacrifice of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont-Hamel.

This July 1st will also mark the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Newfoundland National War Memorial.

This year we have the great honour and responsibility of having this unknown First World War Newfoundland soldier reinterred in a new tomb at the War Memorial.

A place in the heart of downtown, overlooking the St. John’s harbour from where soldiers and volunteers, our brave men and women, departed for Europe over a century ago.

We completed that journey for one, and honour all who remain behind.

A quiet chorus to remind us of what was lost.

And what should never be forgotten.

I would like to express my gratitude to those who made this historic journey possible. A heartfelt special thanks to Mr. Berkley Lawrence, Mr. Frank Sullivan, and Mr. Gary Browne from the Royal Canadian Legion – Newfoundland and Labrador Command for their commitment to honoring our sacrifice in the First World War. Please join me in a round of applause, as they are here in the gallery today.

I also want to acknowledge the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for allowing the repatriation of our unknown soldier’s remains with the same dignity and respect as they do other Commonwealth Countries.

Their ongoing care for our fallen heroes is gratefully appreciated by us all.

We must also recognize the Republic of France for their unwavering commitment to our Allied comrades and their remembrance of their sacrifices in both World Wars.

Finally, I want to thank the dedicated support of Veterans Affairs Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces.

Without their assistance, this journey and the commemorative events in Newfoundland and Labrador would not have been possible.

Your efforts ensure that the legacy of those who served, both past and present, will be remembered by future generations.

Their names will be spoken.

This unknown soldier will represent the collective contribution, courage and sacrifice of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who served, fought, and died in all branches of the military and respective support services, especially those who have no known graves.

We are taught from a very young age about the strength and sacrifice of what’s known as the fighting Newfoundlander.

That legend was born in the muddy trenches of the Somme in the dark days of the First World War.

I was fortunate enough to previously be here with my father.

And to return with my own children as well.

To pass the torch from one generation to the next.

I’ve always felt this is a pilgrimage every Newfoundlander and Labradorian should make.

To live the well-quoted line from the Ode to Newfoundland that says, “where once they stood, we stand.”

Because you can return these souls home when you carry them in your heart.

Lest we forget.

God guard thee, Newfoundland and Labrador.