Grave of the exhumed Unknown Soldier
In April 2001 I was lucky enough to take a World War I Battlefield tour of northern France and Belgium that concentrated on the battles fought by the Australian Imperial Forces from 1916 - 1918.
Prior
There are currently many tours of the Battlefields but few focus on the contribution of the Australian Forces. There are tours organised by the Australian War Memorial and also the Returned Soldiers League but we wanted something more personal. After much searching we found exactly what we were looking for. Battlefield Tours Ltd operated by Colin and Lisa Gillard is a small company offering personalised tours. We arranged and booked this through French Travel Connection in Sydney Australia. Colin's tours operate from Martinpuich in the heart of the Somme Battlefields. As well as the Somme Battlefields we also decided to take the option of visiting the Ypres ($) Battlefields, further north in Belgium.
Day 1
Our tour was to start in the northern French town of Amiens ($). We travelled to Amiens ($) from Paris by rail, the trip taking about an hour. Upon arrival at Amiens ($) station we were greeted by Colin who discussed our preferences and then set off.
Our first stop was Adelaide cemetery ($) outside Villers-Bretonneux ($). It was from here that an unknown Australian solider was exhumed and relocated to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Grave of the exhumed Unknown Soldier
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
at the Australian War Memorial
Unfortunately the weather was cold and wet but it didn't prevent us from visiting the cemeteries.
Adelaide Cemetery looking towards entrance
Adelaide cemetery ($) is typical of the cemeteries that dot the landscape. It is a very sobering experience to look at the headstones and how peaceful they appear today to the carnage that must have been endured during the fighting.
Cross of sacrifice
Every Commonwealth cemetery has a Cross of Sacrifice standing somewhere within the grounds. At the entrance to most of the cemeteries are books of remembrance where visitors can write their comments. Each cemetery that we visited was kept in pristine condition, beautifully manicured and cared for. Congratulations must go to the people that do this, it is a fitting memory to those whose final resting place is now here.
From Adelaide we proceeded into Villers-Bretonneux ($) or "VB" as it known. Our first stop here was outside the Victoria school. On the wall of the school is the following plaque.
Victoria School
It is stirring to see the exploits of Australian soldiers remembered so fondly all these years ago in a place so far from their homeland. The bond between Australia and the town of Villers-Bretonneux ($) goes much deeper, as we were about to discover.
Inside the hall, on the ground floor, of the school you will find a number of carvings of animals. Remarkably, all these carvings are of Australian animals such as koalas and kangaroos. Above the hall, on the first floor of the school is the Anzac museum which contains many interesting exhibits. As you enter the museum you can look out a window into the school yard and be greeted by the following sight.
Victoria school playground
To see something like this, so far from home can't help being able to appreciate the major impact that Australian troops must have had to the town. Even after all these years, children at the school still sing Australian songs every day and continue to learn about the exploits of the men who came half way across the world to defend their town.
Anzac museum at Victoria school
As you can see the museum stretches the length of the building and contains some fascinating exhibits, with the focus very much on Australia. Once again our guide, Colin, was able to point out significant facts and details that we have been unaware of.
Original figure atop 2nd Division memorial
A good example of this is the above figure of an Australian solider bayoneting a German eagle. This figure was atop the Australian 2nd Division memorial ($) at Mont St Quentin ($), which we were to see later on, until it was removed by Germans during the Second World War. Obviously offended by the depiction of German defeat it was removed and never seen again.
The museum also has an extensive array of books and souvenirs that can be purchased. A small donation is recommended by way of an entrance fee into the museum of which we were more than happy to pay.
From here we set out to the Australian National Memorial ($) a few kilometres north of the town.
Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux
The memorial lies at the rear of another Commonwealth cemetery. Here Australian and French flags fly perpetually in honour of those that were killed. Perched on a hill overlooking the surrounding landscape the Memorial ($) provides excellent views of the battlefield in which Australian fought in 1918. The wall of the Memorial ($) contains the names of 10.982 Australian soldiers who died in France and have no known grave.
Unfortunately, the Memorial ($) tower was closed during our visit but is open at certain times of the year. It is also apparently possible to obtain an access key from the curator of the nearby cemetery. Upon closer inspection of the central tower one can see a number of bullet holes. Colin informed us that, contrary to popular opinion, these holes were made by a German Messerschmitt. Apparently, during the German invasion of northern France in World War II the French used the tower as an observation post.
As we left the Memorial ($) and the cemetery we once again passed the Cross of Sacrifice that was to become an all too familiar site during our visit.
Australian Corps Memorial Park in sunny weather
Photos courtesy of Nicolas Goret
Our next destination was the Australian Corps Memorial Park at Le Hamel ($). The Park is located on the final objectives of an attack conducted by Australian troops on the 4th of July 1918. The success of the attack was attributed to the detailed planning and tactics of Australian General John Monash. His use of combined infantry and armour, aided by new supply tactics ( from the air ), may be considered standard today but back then they were revolutionary.
Centre of the Australian Corp Memorial Park
The Australian Corps Memorial Park contains a number of plaques detailing the exploits of the Australian troops that fought here. Colin warned us not to expect too much from the park and he was right ! When we arrived we found that many of the displays and plaques had been damaged from vandalism and the environment. Many of them proved almost impossible to read. The whole Park somehow seems out of place with other memorials around the country side.
At the centre of the Park is an open field of wheat. Following the path around this you come to the screen monument shown in the above picture. Made of black slate it depicts the rising sun military badge as well as a portrait of John Monash and some of the weapons of the attack.
It was not possible to go up close to the screen wall because the monument was roped off. Upon closer inspection we could see that many of the black marble tiles from the Memorial had fallen off or were falling off. Colin pointed out the unsuitability of this type of memorial for this location. Not only was it "out of place" with other memorial it also used materials that were unsuitable for the temperature extremes of northern France.
Australian Corps Memorial Park in sunny weather
Photos courtesy of Nicolas Goret
It was very very disappointing to see something that was suppose to commemorate one of Australia's most successful military operations of the War being such poor condition. The whole Australian Corps Memorial Park is in need of major renovation to bring it more in line with surrounding memorials and to be a fitting tribute to the men of the Australian Corps, much like the memorial at Vimy ($) Ridge is for Canadians. ( * I have been assured by Nicolas Goret who has his own web site about Hamel at http://www.chez.com/hamel1418/start.html that things have been fixed up since my visit ).
Trench lines at the Australian Corps Memorial Park.
Past the screen lies the remains of the trenches that Australian fought for and won on that 4th of July. Looking at the country side it is amazing how flat it is. I thought that the strategic areas would have been higher, however I suppose back at the time of War any sort of height advantage could mean a lot. Occupying strategic height locations mean that you could see a great distance and as such could much more easily harass your enemy with artillery.
Historical de la Grand Guerre museum in Peronne
Our next stop was the 2nd Division memorial ($) at Mont St Quentin ($), however on the way we passed through Peronne. In Peronne is the renown museum Historical de la Grand Guerre having extensive exhibits on many facets of the Great War. Colin gave us the option to have a look but warned that to do the museum justice you would have to spend at least half a day. Regretfully we chose to give the museum a miss this time to ensure that we could visit all the remaining Australian places of interest on the battlefields.
This 2nd Division memorial ($) is very different from the other Australian Divisional memorials. Initially it featured a large statue of an Australian soldier bayoneting a German eagle. However, during the Second World War it was removed and never seen of again.
In 1971 it was finally replaced with the bronze statue of an Australian soldier that we see here today.
After this it was time to head back to Colin's bed and breakfast at Martinpuich and settle in for the night. Colin and his wife Lisa own a small farmhouse in the town in which they are able to accommodate small touring parties like ourselves. We found large rooms, with two or more beds, bathroom, tv, video and more. After unpacking, joined Colin and Lisa in the main house for a pre-dinner drink.
Our accommodation - Colin's bed and breakfast in Martinpuich
Colin has a very extensive library of books and videos that you can borrow during your stay to provide you with more background on the events surrounding all the battles of the period. After our drinks Lisa took us down to the local restaurant, just outside Bapaume for dinner.
Local restaurant where we had dinner
In this part of France not many people speak English. Luckily Lisa stayed with us to help us get our orders straight. It is a strange experience sitting in a restaurant so far from Australia ordering everything in French. After an excellent meal we let the owner know to give Lisa a call to come and pick us up. After a short drive we returned to the farmhouse and settled in for the night. Our destination for the following day would be Ypres ($) in Belgium.
Martinpuich - a very peaceful place now