Leonard True Rendell
As a young man in his early 20s, my grandfather, Leonard True Rendell, had few opportunities on remote and barren Fogo Island, Newfoundland. His father died when he was young, leaving him little choice but to leave home to make his way in the world. He’d heard an Englishman, Lord Alfred Northcliffe, was hiring hundreds of people to build and operate a world-class pulp and paper mill in the virgin forests of central Newfoundland.
In 1908, he left the only home he’d known and set off for Grand Falls. He had little knowledge of what awaited him; a life he didn’t think possible in Newfoundland.
After finding work, he returned to Fogo to visit his mother. When she asked how he was being treated in Grand Falls, he explained he had a warm bed, three hot meals each day and was earning $1.43 cash daily. His mother slapped his face, hard, and said “Don’t you ever lie to your mother. Nobody makes that kind of money!” Receiving cash wages was extremely rare in Newfoundland at that time since most people fished and exchanged their catch of codfish for staples and supplies.
When England declared war on Germany in 1914, he was one of the first seven young men in Grand Falls to enlist. He became one of the celebrated First Five Hundred soldiers of the Newfoundland Regiment (the regiment was later bestowed the title “Royal” – the only military unit to receive this honour during WWI) who were given the nickname “Blue Puttees” because of their unique blue coloured regimental leg wraps, part of their military uniform.
His regiment first saw action at the challenging battle at Gallipoli, Turkey at the Dardanelles. Then came their toughest test. He was one of 800 Newfoundland Regiment members who climbed out of their trenches at Beaumont Hamel France on July 1, 1916 and walked into a blizzard of German artillery. Only 68 soldiers answered the roll call the next morning. He was not one of those 68, but was fortunate to be one of the injured. He spent months in hospital in London recovering from his wounds and would return to the front only to become injured again.
In 1919, he returned home, having served throughout the full length of WWI and was one of a small number of Newfoundland Regiment soldiers to earn four medals for having served and survived all four years of the war.
He married, had ten children and fifteen grandchildren, including me.
I’ve long been fascinated by his life and experiences. A young man with little education and opportunity arrives in a town in central Newfoundland, carefully designed and curated by English nobility. He ventures overseas, having never left Newfoundland before, and survives all four years of WWI, including one of the most devastating battles of the Somme, Beaumont Hamel.
He died July 1, 1959, ironically the same day of the year as the devastating battle at Beaumont Hamel. Maybe it’s because I never met him that I’ve wanted to understand what he experienced. That has manifested itself into my historical fiction manuscript. He has served as the foundation for my fictional character, Eli MacPhail.
Grandfather sitting barefoot front left, near roll of paper
Grandfather third from left – first men to enlist, WWI
Grandfather while training in Scotland 1915, lying on floor, left
Private Rendell – Newfoundland Regiment
Contact Brian Rendell
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