89. Visit the French WWI battlefields

The horrors of WWI were unveiled to us as we drove though the battlefields, memorials and cemeteries in the Somme region, north-east France.

On 1 July 1916, the Allied Forces mounted a disastrous offensive (The Battle of the Somme) which led to more than 60,000 British casualties, with 1/3 killed - this was the largest number of losses in a single-day on record. All but for gaining 12kms of ground, the mounting losses were staggering. Over four months of fighting, 420,000 British (incl Commonwealth countries), 200,000 French and 500,000 Germans troops were killed.

Australia lost more men on the Western Front and in the Somme region than anywhere else in the world - c.40,000 out of 60,000 deaths for the whole war!

More information on the Battle of the Somme (Australian Perspective)

We visited a number of Australian memorial sites in Pozieres, Mouquet Farm and Villers-Bretonneux.

At the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux the names of 11,000 Australains soldiers who have no graves are inscribed on its walls. You can climb the tower within the memorial to look out over the fields where the battles took place.



The original grave of Australia's Unknown Soldier can be found in the Adelaide Cemetery on the outskirts of Villers-Bretonneux.



An important village for the Australians is Villers-Bretonneux. Here the villagers continue to remain indebted to Australia for successfully defending the village against the Germans. There is a Franco-Australian Museum dedicated to remembering Australia's presence which is above the village school. Also, on each blackboard is written "Do not forget Australia".



The last memorial that we visited over the two days was one in Le Hamel (Australian Corps Memorial). At this site, Sir John Monash, an Australian Lieutenant General, successfully led Australian and American troops to capture the German positions in Hamel. It was a very important battle and changed the way the Allied forces approached their offensives.



Overall, the visit was very moving and sombre, a chance to reflect on those that fought for a better world – a must-do pilgrimage for all Australians