First stop today was the Villers-Bretonneux memorial outside the city of Amiens. This memorial represents 11,000 names on the walls of the memorial of those died in battle in the area.
Next stop was in the village of Villers-Bretonneux itself and to the Victoria School and the Australian Museum. What an amazing museum – could have spent hours in there. Every child in the school studies Australia and understands what part the Australians played in WW1. The school hall is lined with timber brought from Australia, there are large photographs of scenes from Australia and in the playground a large sign is displayed with the words “Do Not Forget Australia”.
All up, a great visit.
Next stop Lochingar Crater where July 1, 1916 27 tons of aminol was exploded forming the huge crater. This began the Battle of the Somme. One lone soldier’s body was discovered in the crater in 1998 and finally given the recognition he well deserved.
The Thievpal Memorial, another stop on our itinerary, is absolutely huge and dedicated to the 72,000 British, French and South Africans whose names are inscribed on the memorial as missing from the Battle of the Somme between 1915 and 1918.
Driving along the fields on the outskirts of Pozieres, it is pointed out to us that there are likely still some 5000 Australian bodies scattered amongst the now farmed fields we are driving past. 7 VC’s, 5 of them Australian were won from these battles.
The windmill site in Pozieres is the highest point in the area and is a site well remembered by Australians.
23,000 Australian casualties in 7 weeks around here.
It’s been a full on day today and a 2 hr trip back into Paris was the conclusion of our tour.
A Battlefield tour was something I was not overly looking forward to as part of a month in France but have to say Wow, I have thoroughly enjoyed the 4 days and learnt SO much about the World War 1 battlefield front lines in France and Belgium and I have been absolutely in awe at the casualty numbers that such a war can inflict on we humans. Surely a war like this should never happen again and there’s only one thing left to say
“We Will remember them”.
