Touring the Somme Battlefields
Day two of our Battlefields tour and there are five stops, all within easy driving distance of each other.
Somme 1916 Museum
The museum opened in 2016 to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, the museum has a fascinating collection of artefacts, including artillery and weapons as well as old photographs. The recreated scenes of what daily life was like for soldiers also keeps a younger audience engaged.
The Australian War Memorial at Le Hamel
This is the Australian Corps Memorial on the ridge overlooking the village of Le Hamel, not far from Villers-Bretonneux. It’s a stunning memorial, commemorating the more than 100,000 Australians who served in France. Walk around and you’ll still see the the old trenches, now grown over but the ridges and troughs still visible. The battle itself was considered a textbook victory led once again by John Monash. And while it was all over in less than two hours, Australian troops still suffered 1,062 casualties, with 800 killed.
1st Australian Division Memorial, Pozieres
This memorial is dedicated to the members of the 1st Australian Division AIF, who died during the capture of Pozieres in July 1916. Over 42 days the Australians made as many as 19 attacks against the German positions. In the end, 23,000 men killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. As one historian noted, “for several weeks Pozières became the focus of the Somme fighting and the worst place to be on earth”.
“For several weeks Pozières became the focus of the Somme fighting and the worst place to be on earth”.
Theipval Museum
The highlight here is the 60-meter backlit glass print depicting the events of July 1, 1916. Thought provoking and humbling, the museum offers a meaningful look at the Battles of the Somme.
War Memorial, Thiepval
Nearby, is the impressive Thiepval war memorial. Standing 45 metres high, this is the largest Commonwealth war memorial in the world and commemorates the 73,367 British and South African soldiers who were killed on the Somme battlefields and who have no known grave. No known grave.