Issued by the Ministry of National Heritage and Defence
Republic of Newfoundland

1. A Nation Among Nations

On 26 September 1907, Newfoundland was formally proclaimed a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire—equal in status to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The proclamation recognized decades of constitutional maturity and the island’s growing economic and maritime stature. The Green-White-Pink tricolour, already flown informally in St. John’s and along the coasts, became the people’s flag.

The Dominion Parliament convened in the Colonial Building, where Prime Minister Sir Robert Bond declared Newfoundland “a nation of the North Atlantic, standing proud between two continents.”

2. Trade, Industry, and Modernization

The early Dominion years were marked by optimism. Shipyards at Harbour Grace, Bell Island’s iron ore mines, and the new paper mills of Grand Falls drove economic expansion. Telegraph cables, rail links, and a growing merchant fleet positioned Newfoundland as a communications bridge between Europe and America.

The government introduced the Newfoundland Dollar (NFD)—pegged to sterling—and established the National Bank of Newfoundland. Domestic industries such as ship repair, salt, and fisheries cooperatives received public investment, while St. John’s emerged as a cosmopolitan port of Atlantic trade.

3. The Great War and the Royal Newfoundland Regiment

When Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, the Dominion of Newfoundland answered immediately. Within weeks, volunteers filled the ranks of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (RNFLDR)—the first colonial unit to serve overseas. Their baptism of fire came at Gallipoli (1915), followed by the Somme campaign in France.

On 1 July 1916, at Beaumont-Hamel, 801 Newfoundlanders advanced across open ground; only 68 answered roll call the next morning. The Regiment’s sacrifice became a national legend—the day forever observed as Regiment Day.

Through the war, over 12,000 Newfoundlanders served in the Army, Navy, and Merchant Marine—an extraordinary contribution for a population under 250,000. Their courage earned the Dominion a place of honour at Versailles and the right to sign the Treaty of Peace (1919) in its own name.

4. Between Wars: Recovery and Resilience

The 1920s brought both reconstruction and challenge. War debts weighed heavily, yet trade with Europe revived. Hydroelectric projects on the Exploits River and expansion of the Newfoundland Railway signaled modern ambition. Tourism, forestry, and fisheries modernization programs were introduced under Prime Minister Richard Squires.

Women gained the right to vote in 1925, the same year St. John’s celebrated the first trans-Atlantic flight by Alcock and Brown. For a brief time, the Dominion stood as a confident, independent democracy—its own postage, currency, passports, and embassies marking full sovereignty.

5. The Great Depression and the Fall of the House of Assembly

The global crash of 1929 devastated Newfoundland’s export markets. Fish prices collapsed, debt payments mounted, and foreign credit vanished. By 1933, public finances were insolvent. Out of loyalty to solvency rather than empire, the legislature suspended responsible government in 1934, requesting temporary administration by Britain’s Commission of Government.

This act—made voluntarily—was intended as financial triage, not surrender of nationhood. Six commissioners ruled in St. John’s under a British governor while Newfoundlanders endured austerity and unemployment.

6. Legacy of the Dominion Era

The Dominion period forged Newfoundland’s modern identity:

• National institutions of currency, law, and diplomacy;
• A martial tradition embodied by the Royal Newfoundland Regiment;
• A global reputation for courage and sacrifice;
• And an unbroken conviction in self-rule, even through hardship.

Though the Depression dimmed the lights of Parliament, it did not extinguish the national spirit. In coastal homes, veterans and fishermen alike kept the tricolour folded but ready, awaiting the day it would rise again.

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