Newfoundland's Unknown Soldier arrives at Confederation Building to lie in state

Under heavy rainfall and the eye of solemn onlookers, Newfoundland's Unknown Soldier arrived at Confederation Building Friday morning to lie in state, three days before the remains will be entombed at the National War Memorial in St. John's. 

The soldier was repatriated in a moving ceremony at Beaumont-Hamel on May 25 and had been lying in an undisclosed location since.

On Friday morning, the Unknown Soldier — who died more than a century ago in northern France at the height of the First World War — was carried by pallbearers slowly up the stairs of Confederation Building, which is both the home of the Newfoundland and Labrador Legislature and the main seat of government.  

Guests, along with members of the Royal Canadian Legion and Canadian Armed Forces, gathered outside Confederation Building as the hearse carrying the soldier was escorted to the front steps by police.

Bagpipes echoed from the building's steps as the bearer party slowly marched the casket inside atop their shoulders, while military and legion members stood at attention, unflinching as driving rain continued to fall.

Inside, the main lobby of Confederation Building was quiet as the bearers gently placed the casket on its pedestal, in preparation for public viewing that starts Friday afternoon. 

Premier Andrew Furey, who is designated at act as the Unknown Soldier's next of kin, stood by with his family, who were the first to pay their respects.

Furey wiped tears from his eyes as he put his arm around his son, Mark, a teenager who is not much younger than some recruits who lied about their age to enlist to fight in Europe.

Public visitation begins Friday at 1:30 p.m NT and runs until 7:30 p.m.

The public can enter through the front of the building. Visitors will walk a loop around the inside of the lobby, passing by the casket, before exiting through the other side of the front doors.

An accessible route is available through the rear parking lot entrance, which includes ramps for wheelchairs.

The public can also visit Saturday between 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. and again Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On Monday — which is Memorial Day in Newfoundland and Labrador, a sombre holiday that coincides with Canada Day — the solider will make the journey to the refurbished National War Memorial in downtown St. John's.

Memorial Day marks the remembrance of the first day of the Battle of the Somme, where in 1916 hundreds of men fighting for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment died at Beaumont-Hamel.