| Battle of Caribou Hill | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Gallipoli campaign of Middle Eastern theatre of World War I | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Ottoman Empire | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 James Donnelly |
Unknown | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Newfoundland Regiment | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
The Battle of Caribou Hill was a battle which took place during the Gallipoli campaign of World War I
Battle
[edit]On the night of 4 November 1915, James Donnelly of the Newfoundland Regiment led 6 men to the ridge which was held by Turkish snipers.[1][2] When the Ottoman soldiers came to their positions, they were met with rifle fire from Donnelly's men. At the same time, the rest of the Newfoundland Regiment was sent to the nearby knoll where they encountered an Ottoman patrol. After a firefight, the Ottoman patrol was driven off.[3] The hill was then captured by the Newfoundlanders.[4]
Aftermath and Legacy
[edit]The Battle of Caribou Hill was the first battle honor earned by the Newfoundland Regiment during the Gallipoli campaign.[5] After the battle, the ridge was named "Caribou Hill" in honor of the Newfoundland Regiment.[2] For his actions during the battle, James Donnelly was awarded the Military Cross while Sargent W.M. Green and Private R.E. Hynes received the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Lance Corporal F. Snow received the Military Medal.[3] In 2018, Turkey granted the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador permission to install a monument to commemorate the Newfoundland Regiment and their actions during the battle.[6] The monument, known as the Gallipoli Newfoundland Memorial was unveiled in September 2022. It is located near the Hill 10 Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Defence, National (February 22, 2024). "WWI - Gallipoli". www.canada.ca.
- ^ a b "The Newfoundland Regiment at Gallipoli". www.heritage.nf.ca.
- ^ a b "Gallipoli - 1915". The Royal Newfoundland Regiment Museum.
- ^ Canada, Veterans Affairs (July 12, 2022). "Gallipoli - Veterans Affairs Canada". www.veterans.gc.ca.
- ^ Canada, Veterans Affairs (July 20, 2022). "Gallipoli Newfoundland Memorial - Veterans Affairs Canada". www.veterans.gc.ca.
- ^ "Final Instalment of Trail of Caribou in Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey".
- ^ "Trail of the Caribou finished with last piece placed on Gallipoli Peninsula". CBC News. 2021-04-13.