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In the footsteps of Private George Phillips, Newfoundland Regiment (Photo Blog)

10/12/2017

4 Comments

 
Newfoundland Memorial, Gueudecourt
The Newfoundland Memorial at Gueudecourt.

Why this journey?

Private Georges Phillips,  ​Royal Nfld Regt., #1164
Private Georges Phillips, 
​
Royal Nfld Regt., #1164
The very first Battlefield blogpost that we wrote a few months ago, covered the tragic story of the Newfoundlanders at Beaumont-Hamel on the 1st of July 1916. 
​
One of the people who reacted to this post was a relative of a Newfoundland soldier, named George Phillips. She was kind enough to share all the research she had done and that was the start of my journey into his footsteps. Literally!
​
I did not want to reconstruct the actions of the Newfoundlanders or write some historical essay on the battles of the Somme. On the contrary. 
​

I just wanted to visit and photograph the places where this man -George- past his last months among the living, before he went missing on the 12th of October 1916. ​
Timeline, Private Georges Phillips,  ​Royal Nfld Regt., #1164
Battlefield Photography
I focussed on his story in France and visited the small village of Englebelmer, where he was billeted before the battle of the Somme and practised for the upcoming battle and trench raids. I followed his footsteps in the Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont-Hamel and finally visited the village of Gueudecourt and the fields around it, the place where George went missing during the raid on Hilt trench.

George Phillips' arrival in Englebelmer

Main road of Englebelmer, church, WW1
Main road of Englebelmer, where the church is situated.
Main road of Englebelmer, church, WW1
Main road of Englebelmer, where the church is situated.
Englebelmer church, WW1
Closer view on the church of Englebelmer.
Englebelmer, town hall, WW1
The town hall of Englebelmer, further on the Main Road.
Englebelmert, Main road to the village Vitermont
Main road to the village Vitermont, which is situated right beside Englebelmert.
Englebelmer. View towards the Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont-Hamel
View towards the Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont-Hamel, taken from the outskirts of Englebelmer.

The battle of Beaumont-Hamel

These are the grounds where George did the trench raids (he was posthumously awarded for his actions) and where he got wounded on 1st of July 1916.
​
Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel, rainy day, Caribou
Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel, on a rainy day.
​The great Caribou watches over the fallen Newfoundlanders.
Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel, Bronze tablet
One of the 3 bronze tablets beneath the Caribou.  These bronze tablets carry the names of 820 members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the Newfoundland Royal Navy Reserve and the Mercantile Marines who gave their lives in the first World War and have no known  grave. Private George Phillips was one of them.  
Private Georges Phillips,  ​Royal Nfld Regt., #1164
Private Georges Phillips, 
​​
Royal Nfld Regt., #1164
Source picture (edited): Photo album courtesy of The Rooms Provincial Archives Division (VA-40), St. John's, NL. http://www.heritage.nf.ca/first-world-war/gallery/virtual-scrapbook/index.php
Private Georges Phillips,  ​Royal Nfld Regt., #1164, Bronze Tablet, Beaumont-Hamel
One of the 3 bronze tablets beneath the Caribou, where George Phillips is commemorated.
Danger Tree, Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel
The remains of the Danger Tree, still standing there after al these years.  It marks the furthest point of advance of the Newfoundlanders on the July the 1st 1916. View from the Danger Tree, ​across no man’s land. The Newfoundlanders had to cross this terrain during their attack on the German frontline.
Trenches of the German frontline at Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel.
Trenches of the German frontline at Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel.
Trenches of the German frontline at Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel.
Trenches of the German frontline.
Trenches of the German frontline at Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel.
Closer view of the German trenches.
Trenches at Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel.
View towards the British frontline, taken from the German trenches.
Memoirs of Howard Leopold Morry
Another of our chaps, Philips by name (George Phillips) jumped down among a whole trench full of Germans. All that our chaps could hear were screeches and groans from the trench. They had to leave him there, but he turned up the next evening all rags and blood and wounds. Seems he must have cleared the whole trench and got out and hid in a shell hole till next evening.
Source: http://ngb.chebucto.org/NFREG/WWI/ww1-add-morry726-memoirs.shtml
Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel, View towards Y-Ravine, shell holes
Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel. View towards Y-Ravine. This terrain is covered with shell holes.
Y-ravine, Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel
Y-ravine, Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel
This is the location of Y-ravine: the home of the German 119 Reserve Infantry Regiment, who were defending Beaumont-Hamel. The infantry, with soldiers having a mining background, made deep dugouts and fortifications into the side of the deep Y-shaped ravine. They sheltered and protected the German soldiers during the bombardments before the attack.
Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel
Terrain over which George Phillips attacked the German frontline.
​The danger tree is situated on the right side (outside of this picture). 
View towards Hawthorn mine, Sunken Lane, Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel
View towards the location of the Hawthorn mine, which went of on the 1st of July 1916. The explosion of this mine is something that George Phillips must have seen and heard, as he waited in the trenches. The famous Sunken Lane is on the left side of the picture.
View on the Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont Hamel, distance
View on the Newfoundland Memorial Park, taken from the old British Frontline.
Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery nr 1. at Beaumont-Hamel.
Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery nr 1. at Beaumont-Hamel.

The fighting at Gueudecourt

Gueudecourt, Rue de Miraumont, WW1
Gueudecourt, Rue de Miraumont. Leading to the center of this small village.
Gueudecourt, town center, WW1
Gueudecourt, town center. 
Gueudecourt, town hall, WW1
Gueudecourt, town hall.
Site of the old church of Gueudecourt, WW1
Site of the old church of Gueudecourt.
Gueudecourt, WW1
Gueudecourt. This main road leads to the Newfoundland Memorial.
old cemetery of Gueudecourt
The old cemetery of Gueudecourt. The starting positions of the Newfoundland Regiment in the far distance on the right.
Gueudecourt, Hilt Trench, WW1
Gueudecourt. The starting positions of the Newfoundland Regiment in the far distance on the left. Hilt trench ran across this road.
Gueudecourt. A few shells I found during my short walk in the surrounding fields. Dead is still very  present.
Gueudecourt. View from the starting positions of the Newfoundlanders towards Hilt Trench.
Gueudecourt. View from the starting positions of the Newfoundlanders towards Hilt Trench.
Gueudecourt, distance, trees surroundingCaribou Newfoundland Memorial.
Gueudecourt. In the far distance you can see the trees surrounding the Caribou Newfoundland Memorial.
Gueudecourt, Attacking grounds, Newfoundlanders.
Gueudecourt. Attacking grounds of the Newfoundlanders.
Gueudecourt, far distance, sun, Caribou Newfoundland Memorial
Gueudecourt. In the far distance you can see the sun standing above the Caribou Newfoundland Memorial.
Caribou Newfoundland Memorial, old trench line
The Caribou Newfoundland Memorial, with the old trench line behind it.
​Its sometimes hard to imagine or understand that so much horror went on here. That these - now so peaceful - fields were filled with the morbid sound of dying or wounded men. 

We all see these remains of trenches but we can’t feel the fear they all must have felt, when they waited for the awful sound of the whistle to go over the top. I can imagine that George felt the same fear. 

One thing is for sure. We can or may never forget what went on here. Something we owe to them.

After the assault

During the 55 hours between entering the trenches on October 10 1916 and the end of the battle, the Newfoundland Regiment suffered 239 casualties.  120 of these men were killed.

George Phillips was one of them. He would never return to Whitbourne, Newfoundland. His remains are still resting in the French soil near Gueudecourt. He was posthumously awarded with the Military Medal and the Russian Medal of St. George, Third Class, for the bravery he showed at Beaumont-Hamel. 
​
​London Gazette, 21 Dec 1916
He displayed conspicuous gallantry in the raid on 27/28 June 1916, south of Beaumont-Hamel. He entered the enemy trench and accounted for several of the enemy single handed. After getting out of the trench he went back again to try and obtain some identification. He remained out all night and had to cut his way back through the enemy's wire. This man also took part in the attack on July 1st and showed great gallantry. He was wounded on this date.
Source: http://www.rnfldr.ca/history.aspx?item=144#Newfoundlanders%20at%20BH 
This visit and my whole journey was kind of an emotional and personal thing. A sort of pilgrimage I think. Strange to feel connected with someone you never knew or met. 
​

As I walked down the old trench line, the lyrics of the song The green fields of France kept repeating in my head. 
​
 The trenches have vanished long under the plow,
No gas, no barbed wire, no guns firing now
Please reply to this post and join us in remembering private George Phillips and all the other soldiers who where killed during the battlefield of the Somme or elsewhere on the front.
​

Thank you for sharing our blogpost.

​Tom and Sarah

Picture
Battlefield Photography
Sources
Many thanks to a relative of Newfoundland soldier George Phillips. She was kind enough to share all the research she had done!
https://www.therooms.ca/sites/default/files/phillips_george_1164.pdf
http://www.rnfldr.ca/history.aspx?item=144#Newfoundlanders%20at%20BH 
http://ngb.chebucto.org/NFREG/WWI/ww1-add-morry726-memoirs.shtml
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/first-world-war/gallery/virtual-scrapbook/index.php

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Want to learn more?

 Read more about Private George Phillips' story:
 https://www.therooms.ca/sites/default/files/phillips_george_1164.pdf
Check out our blogpost on Beaumont-Hamel:
​The tragedy of the Newfoundland Regiment (Photo Blog)
Watch these short movies on The Newfoundland Regiment and its battles

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We take you along our photographic journey through the World War battlefields in Belgium and France. With our black and white photographs and self written poetry, we share our impression of these historic, heroic and tragic events.
4 Comments
Viney West
10/17/2017 17:51:44

Private George Phillips was my Grandfathers Brother God Bless Him he makes us so proud

Reply
Battlefield Photography
10/23/2017 14:27:07

Dear Viney

Sorry for the late response.You may indeed be proud! Don't hesitate to contact me if you would ever plan to visit France.

Best regards

Tom and Sarah

Reply
Elizabeth Parrott
4/20/2020 00:44:40

Private George Phillips was the great-uncle of my mother, Irene Phillips-Hackett, who was raised in Whitbourne. My daughter, Charlotte Parrott, researched the footsteps of her uncle George as part of her Grade 8 Social Studies curriculum. She was chosen to represent Newfoundland and Labrador as an Ambassador Award Winner in 2015. As part of a group of 18 students, she toured the battlefields of Europe and paid tribute to the sacrifices of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment there. She was chosen to lay a wreath on behalf of the NL government at Gueudecort, in a very heartfelt and emotional ceremony.
Thank you so much for highlighting Pte. George Phillips today! His sacrifice, as well as the sacrifices of all the NL soldiers, is a source of great pride for my family.

Reply
Battlefield Photography
4/20/2020 11:06:23

Dear Elizabeth,
Thanks for sharing this! I will certainly visit the monument of Gueudecourt again the next time I'm in France. Must have been an honour for your daughter and family, representing George and honouring the men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. We're more than glad that we can help keeping his story alive.

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    Battlefield Photography

    Visiting the former battlefields for the last 20 years, Tom was always attracted to the stories behind them and the men who fought and died there. He decided to combine his love for war history with the other things he likes, such as photography and writing. Together with his wife Sarah he founded "Battlefield Photography". 
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