A memorial site in France that honours the sacrifice of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment is being restored.

It’s the 105th anniversary of the Battle of the Beaumont-Hamel, when some 800 soldiers of the Newfoundland Regiment went “over the top” on the morning of July 1, 1916.

More than 700 men were killed, wounded or missing. Only 68 answered roll call the following morning.

July 1 is known as Memorial Day as well as Canada Day to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. To honour those lost in battle, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission will be restoring elements of the Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial in northern France.

The memorial’s focal point—a bronze caribou cast, the emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment—stands at the highest point of the site. The CWGC will be restoring the statue in conjunction with Veterans Affairs Canada to ensure the soldiers memory continues to be honoured.

The large panels of the memorial, containing the hundreds of names of those who were lost, is currently being bronzed and restored.

France has begun reopening historic sites across the old Western Front. Student guides at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Sites are now welcoming back guests.