Following the Trail of the Caribou: A Sailor’s Journey of Remembrance

After escaping the bustle of Istanbul, Petty Officer 2nd Class (PO2) Rhyan Doucette and Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class (CPO2) Roger Dollimount, both sailors from His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) St. John's, drive south toward Gallipoli, Türkiye. For PO2 Doucette, this is more than a port visit-it's the culmination of a personal mission years in the making. His goal: to visit every site along the Trail of the Caribou and leave behind a patch from St. John's, connecting the ship, its namesake, and crew to the proud legacy of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

The Trail of the Caribou is a series of memorials across Europe marking where the regiment fought during the First World War. Each site features a bronze caribou, the regiment's emblem, facing the direction of advance. Five were built in France and Belgium after the war, and in 2021, a sixth was added at Hill 10 Cemetery near Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, honouring the regiment's role in one of the earliest campaigns. A seventh stands in Bowring Park, St. John's, Newfoundland, facing east toward its counterparts across the sea.

When war broke out in 1914, Newfoundland, then a dominion of the British Empire, sent over many volunteers. The Royal Newfoundland Regiment's courage and sacrifice became legendary, particularly at Beaumont-Hamel on July 1, 1916, where over 700 of 800 men were killed, wounded, or missing. That day remains Memorial Day in Newfoundland.

PO2 Doucette's connection to the regiment runs deep. Though not from Newfoundland, he spent six years posted in St. John's, working closely with the regiment and attending ceremonies at Bowring Park. His first encounter with a caribou memorial came in 2006 while deployed with HMCS Athabaskan. "I really feel the sacrifice when I'm there," he said.

The journey has been a family effort. His wife, Rosemary, and seven-year-old son Sebastian joined him for part of the trail, tracing the regiment's history and finding family names among the fallen.

Now deployed with St. John's on Operation REASSURANCE, Canada's contribution to NATO's defence efforts in Europe, Doucette has completed the Trail. "This is the last one," he said at Gallipoli. "When I get home, I'll place another patch at the caribou in St. John's."

As that caribou looks east toward its brothers in Europe, Doucette will look back across the Atlantic with remembrance. "For me, it's about remembering," he said. Remembering those who served before us, those who never came home, and the ties that still bind us.