Ross Wilson: There is no moment that sears the heart of Newfoundlanders from the First World War than Beaumont Hammel. When the Royal Newfoundland Regiment went over the top the fateful day when the whistles blew, and the men, out of the trenches, heading for the Danger Tree into mass German machine guns. This was it.

Owner: This was it.

Ross Wilson: Tell me about it.

Owner: Well, my grandfather was a Blue Putee, number 466, one of the first five hundred. From what we understand, that this bag, this mailbag, carried the orders telling the men to go over the top, for the colonel, and he survived it and brought that bag home.

Editor’s note: Due to a shortage of material the first conscripts into the Regiment, which only ever had the one battalion, were required to wear blue puttees. These were eventually replaced with standard issue khaki ones, but to have been one of the founding members of the Regiment was considered a great honour during the course of the Great War.

Ross Wilson: What people today don’t realize with our communications, our instant communications, is the fact that during many wars, including right up until the Second World War, whether there were telephones, or even pigeons, to get a message from one side of a regiment to the other, to give them the orders to do, to retreat, to advance – it was runners.

Owner: And that’s what he was, he was a runner.

Ross Wilson: He was a runner.

Owner: And we’re all proud of him and we’re all proud of this bag.

Ross Wilson: And so you should, and so Newfoundland should. As a small canvas bag, that in actual fact I think is earlier than the First World War, it looks very much like it’s… the pattern is Boer War…

Owner: Quite possibly.

Ross Wilson: It’s value on today’s market as just as a sheer bag is only a couple of hundred dollars. But the value on this as the men’s lives that went over the top… if I had to put a valuation for insurance purposes on this, even that would be difficult. It’s irreplaceable. If I had to, then, I would put $5000 on it. And some people would say I’m crazy, it’s ok, I’ve been called that before. But it’s far, far more valuable than this and thank you for bringing in such an integral part of Newfoundland and now Canada’s history.

Owner: You’re welcome and as sentimental value, there is no dollar value on it.

Ross Wilson: Absolutely, absolutely.

Owner: No matter what…

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