It was just over a year ago when I experienced one of the most profound events of my life.
As chancellor of Memorial University, I was honoured to be invited to join the group that flew to France to repatriate the Unknown Soldier.
Imagine gathering with people from different countries and all ages, who came out of respect for this young man who gave his life more than 100 years ago. Hundreds of local people showed up to pay their respects.
At the hand-over ceremony in Beaumont-Hamel, it hit me – I was in front of the Caribou. I was standing in the field where so many of our young men died. Then the French military brought the coffin and it was transferred to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. There is no way to describe the feeling. I can tell you there were many tears.
Signed with a X
After the war, the decision was made to raise two memorials – our National War Memorial and Memorial University College (MUC).
Pte. Tommy Ricketts was a member of the first class when the college opened in 1925. He was awarded the Victoria Cross during the war for “most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty” at the age of 17.
What is less known is that he signed his attestation paper – at the age of 15 – with an X. He was illiterate. When he returned from the war, he could barely sign his own name.
But he learned to read and write. He graduated from MUC and with his education under his belt, he became a pharmacy apprentice and eventually opened his own pharmacy in downtown St. John’s which he ran for decades.
Maybe Tommy Ricketts was friends with our unknown soldier. One gave his life; one returned and graduated from the college erected in his friend’s memory.
Centenary recognitions
We were founded as a living memorial and as Memorial Day approaches, we continue our centenary recognitions.
There have been many events so far to mark our 100th anniversary and I am proud to have attended many and hosted a couple: the launch of the art exhibit at The Rooms, To Launch Forth into the Deep: A Legacy of Supporting the Arts at Memorial University and the panel discussion, Living Memorial: Memorial University and the Meaning of Remembrance.
Last week, I was at the National War Memorial. I was there to watch facsimiles of the original globes on the light posts being replaced. The new globes were computer-printed and installed by Department of Technical Services at Memorial and are exact replicas of those originally installed in 1924. Kudos to the team there, the late Dr. Rob Shea who championed the project and all involved for making this happen.
We are proud to contribute to the refurbishment of the war memorial during our own centennial year and have the globes in place for July 1.
The two memorials will be forever linked. Those soldiers were the “better than the best” which later became the motto of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. We honour the dead by providing excellence in education; our students honour them by using their education to be the best they can be.
