About 2019 $20 Fine Silver Coin - Forget-Me-Not [174000]

A Memorial Day tribute: Everlasting flowers to remember the Blue Puttees

A national day of celebration is also a provincial day of remembrance in Newfoundland and Labrador. In the same way the red poppy is worn on November 11, a blue flower is worn in that province on July 1, in fulfillment of the promise to never forget a lost generation.

This 1 oz. fine silver coin commemorates the sacrifices of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador during the First World War. Its design, which mixes different engraving techniques, is a sweeping tribute to the thousands who fought under the banner of the Dominion of Newfoundland in battles at places like Beaumont-Hamel in France.

The obverse features a laser-engraved pattern of forget-me-not flowers, a hardy species that blooms blue ? the colour of loyalty, courage, endurance and valour.

And on the reverse, a multitude of Newfoundland and Labrador?s flowers of remembrance pour from the rocky province, like a cascade of pride tinged with grief. The floral trail wraps around the rugged coast and surrounds the Royal Newfoundland Regiment?s caribou emblem, which faces east towards the battlefields on which so many souls were lost forever.

KEY FEATURES:

A Memorial Day (July 1) tribute. Forget-me-not flowers fill the reverse and obverse of this 1 oz. fine silver coin, which commemorates the sacrifices and achievements of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador during the First World War.

A mix of engraving techniques. A multitude of forget-me-nots are traditionally engraved on the reverse and laser-engraved on the obverse.

A caribou symbol of fallen heroes. The Royal Newfoundland Regiment?s caribou emblem faces east towards Beaumont-Hamel, where the staggering battle casualties of 1916 had a devastating impact on so many communities across Newfoundland.

DID YOU KNOW?

Canada and Newfoundland were separate dominions within the British Empire during the First World War. From a population of roughly 241,000, more than 6,200 Newfoundlanders served in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment alone, which suffered a high casualty rate (with more than 1,280 killed and almost 2,300 more wounded). Others joined the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve, the Newfoundland Forestry Corps, the merchant marines, or fought as part of the British and Canadian forces.

The Newfoundland Regiment was nearly wiped out on July 1, 1916, at the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel. Of the some 800 members of the regiment who went forward that morning, only 68 were able to answer the roll call the next day. Many of the regiment?s casualties (more than 700 killed, wounded or missing) were sustained in the first half hour of the battle.

The inspiration for our engraved caribou, a massive bronze caribou stands on the highest point at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial in France. It is one of five such monuments on the ?Trail of the Caribou? in Europe, found at five battlefield memorial sites in France and Belgium that preserve the memory of Newfoundland and Labrador?s First World War experience.

DESIGN

The reverse design by Derek C. Wicks uses a trail of forget-me-not flowers to symbolize a spirit of remembrance. A multitude of flowers pour from the rocky province to wrap around its rugged coast and surround the animal emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Perched on a crag overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the caribou faces east towards the Beaumont-Hamel battlefield that is a symbol of wartime valour and sacrifice for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. The obverse features a laser-engraved pattern of forget-me-not flowers behind the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

SPECIFICATIONS