48 minutes that'll wreck you: soldiers' own words from beyond the grave.
A new documentary on the tragic battle at Beaumont Hamel, a documentary that traces the activities of the Newfoundland Regiment from enlistment in St. John's and training in Europe to combat in the Mediterranean and, finally, to the battle in France that virtually destroyed the entire regiment. The uniqueness of this documentary is that it is told exclusively through the words of the soldiers and their loved ones, words lifted directly from actual letters, diaries and memoirs.
Editing
Letters read over footage—no narrator, just ghosts.
Production
St. John's to Somme via actual diaries, zero dramatization.
Director
Bill Coultas
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
July 1 is Memorial Day in Newfoundland, not Canada Day—this battle is why.
Director Bill Coultas spent years in archives; Frances Ennis is a descendant of a Beaumont Hamel soldier.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
CA
