Historical Society project ensures people will remember

by Barbara Dean Simmons
Reprinted from The Packet, November 20, 2016

South West Arm honours veterans with unveil of memorial banners

LITTLE HEART’S EASE — Today at Southwest Arm Academy, at the small all-grade school at Little Heart’s Ease, people gathered for a Remembrance Day assembly that was particularly exceptional.

In a moving ceremony, the school and community paid honour to 26 First World War veterans from the area, unveiling 13 banners to tell their stories.

The banners will be a lasting legacy — and will remain at the school — to be used in future ceremonies of Remembrance, and for educational purposes.

The banners are the culmination of over a year of work by the South West Arm Historical Society — and in particular hours of diligent research by Lester Green.

Over a year ago, Green began tracking down information about the men from the South West Arm who served with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in the First World War.

He discovered 26.

Through his research, one piece of information in particular inspired him to do what he could to tell their stories.

It was a postcard, written in 1918 by Pte. Andrew Shaw.

“I am hungry and cold. Send some parcels as soon as possible. I am a prisoner of war. I am wounded and in Germany. I have been here for going on four months and I am suffering bad with my legs.” — Private Andrew Shaw.

“After reading that, how could I not want to tell the stories of these men,” Green said today, following the school assembly and ceremony to unveil the banners.

Mike Foley, the grandson of Andrew Shaw, was one of the people who travelled to Little Heart’s Ease today for the ceremony.

He says the ceremony was “phenomenal” and the work that went into putting together the research, and this event, was simply “exceptional.”

He noted that until Green discovered the postcard written by his grandfather, no one knew it existed.

“I knew he had served in the Regiment, and I knew he had been a P.O.W. and was wounded, but no one knew much else about it. His service wasn’t celebrated and his medals were never on display.

“And he didn’t talk much about it.”

It was a similar story for the family of First World War Veteran Daniel Shaw.

Shaw’s children — son Fred and daughter Dorothy Shaw BarBaccia — traveled from the United States to be at today’s ceremony.

After he came home from the war, Daniel Shaw made his way to Boston. He lived there the rest of his life, raising his family in America.

Fred Shaw says all he knew very little about his father’s military past; only that he had served, he helped form the Newfoundland war vets organization in Boston, and he marched in the Memorial Day parades in that city each year.

Fred Shaw never really knew why, though.

When Green contacted him to try to find out more about his father, Shaw says, the search into the past helped reveal their father’s story.

“He (Lester) inspired me to look into the past, talk to my sisters about my dad, pull together things that he had put into the closet. So . . . I can’t thank him enough for putting this together for us,” said Shaw, thanking Green on behalf of al the families of the veterans.

Green says there were many people who helped bring this project together.

Robbie Jacobs is the graphic designer who volunteered his time to create the banners; working from images and information provided by the South West Arm Historical Society.

Grade 7 student Hayley Peddle also created a special song for today’s event.

Peddle told the Packet that when her teacher asked her if she could do it, she said, “one hundred percent, yes.”

Using information on each of the soldiers, provided to her by Lester Green, and with some help from her aunt, she tells their stories through her verses.

Today was only the second time she performed the song in public.

The first time was the Music NL awards in Bonavista two weeks ago.

In a voice, pure and clear, today she sang their stories again, and received a standing ovation for her performance.

Mike Foley said later, “It put a lump in my throat.”

Frank Sullivan, president of the Provincial Command of the Royal Canadian Legion agreed, her performance was memorable.

In fact, he said, the entire event today was simply “outstanding.”

Among the Honour 100 commemorative events, he said, this one stands among the best.

Former Lieutenant Governor Ed Roberts, who is the leading expert on the history of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, was guest speaker for the ceremony.

Roberts has been to many commemoration ceremonies since 2014, to mark 100-year anniversaries of significant battles and milestones of the First World War (1914-18).

“I want to say that none was more fitting, or more moving, or more appropriate than the one in which we are taking part today.”

Of the 26 local men who joined up, he said, “When you read their stories, you will come to see — as I have — that those who came forward . . .  who served, were just ordinary folk. They weren’t professional soldiers. None of them ever expected to be called upon to fight, but they came forward when they were needed and they served honourably and with distinction.”

Roberts noted that at the base of the Caribou monument at Beaumont Hamel, France, there is a small plaque, dedicated to the memory of “Ours.

“That’s the word that our forefathers and mothers used during the War years to describe those serving under the Colours.

“The men we honour today were ‘Ours.’ Let us continue to remember them.”