The Newfoundland Memorial park at Beaumont Hamel the Somme is one of the best-preserved section of battlefront in France. This sector was left as it was in 1918, which was virtually the same as it was on 1st July 1916. After the battle of the Somme this sector was fairly quiet.
The trenches can be clearly seen among the shell-scarred ground. The Newfoundland regiment attacked this front on 1st July 1916. The section of no-mans-land is approx. 300 yards and can be walked in a couple of minuets the Newfoundlanders never made it across. The battalion started their attack from the reserve trenches and had to negotiate several lines of they’re own barbed wire before even reaching no-mans- land.
What was left of the Newfoundlanders continued towards the German line but few reached it. The resolution to continue the attack meant that the battalion was virtually annihilated by the opposing German defenders. The Newfoundlanders suffered 679 casualties in an attack that lasted approx. 40 minuets. That’s 91% of the attacking force.