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

Speaker, as we approach Remembrance Day, I rise in this honourable House to reflect on the sacrifices made by Newfoundland and Labrador veterans for the rights and freedoms we enjoy today.

During the First World War, 12,000 men from the then Dominion of Newfoundland valiantly volunteered to help the war efforts. Women volunteered as nurses overseas, while others rallied support efforts back here at home.

We lost a generation of young men during that war – sons, brothers, fathers and friends who never came home. The bravery and grit they demonstrated were unmatched and, as a result, the regiment was given the title of “Royal” – the only military unit to receive this title during the First World War.

In May, we brought the remains of a First World War Royal Newfoundland Regiment soldier home from the battlefields of Northern France and, on July 1, we laid him to rest at the National War Memorial in St. John’s. His tomb overlooks the St. John’s Harbour, where he and so many other young men left home with high spirits and bravery, determined to fight for king and country.

Speaker, I ask all honourable members to join me in a minute of silence to remember the sacrifices of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians during armed conflicts.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

Lest We Forget.