1 blanket, 6,000 forget-me-nots: Corner Brook artist pays tribute to fallen soldiers

A Corner Brook artist is honouring the fallen soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment by marking the 100th anniversary of Beaumont-Hamel with an extraordinary art project.

Over the past year and a half, Jackie Alcock has worked countless hours to sew thousands of fabric forget-me-nots onto an old military blanket.

On Monday, April 25 — the 221st birthday of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment — Alcock put some of the finishing touches on her elaborate project.

"There's over 6,000 [forget-me-nots] — one for each one that served in World War One," she said.  

"The small ones are the actual size of a forget-me-not, but I made some an inch because these are the ones that survived, and the little ones were the ones that were killed in action."

Alcock said the decision to undertake the project was sparked by a trip to the French battlefield in 2006.

"My husband's cousin Augustus Alcock is the first name on the Caribou at Beaumont-Hamel," said Alcock. 

"He's just played on our minds because you know we'd been over there, it was 90 years then, and up until that date nobody had gone, nobody had looked for him."

She said she decided to sew the forget-me-nots onto the blanket as a way to remember soldiers like Alcock.

"An army blanket is something that every member of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment was given and it kept them warm and it kept them safe and blankets keep us warm and safe at night."

Regiment honoured by gesture

Royal Newfoundland Regiment Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Bond said the regiment is very appreciative of Alcock's hard work.

"I think it's beautiful. The regiment's certainly honoured to have so much work put into the 100th anniversary of Beaumont-Hamel this year," he said.

"I saw it before it was created, and I'm amazed at the amount of work she's put into it."

While making the blanket, Alcock said she did extensive research to find out the names of those who served, and when and where they fought.

"I've been reading a lot of books, a lot of research. I've read a lot of their stories and they make you cry and they make you laugh and each one of them is an individual person," she said.  

"I found myself coming in Christmas morning [to the studio] and wishing them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."

As she sewed the final forget-me-nots onto the blanket, Alcock said she hasn't lost sight of who each flower represents.

"The last one is a little pink one. That's for Private Courage — the very last casualty of the regiment in World War One," she said. 

The blanket will be presented to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment ahead of the 100-year anniversary of Beaumont-Hamel on July 1.