France - Western Front

Our official start to our ‘Western Front’ tour was Villers-Bretonneux (April 1918).

Villers-Bretonneux saw action throughout WW1 from 1914, but the village made history when the Australian troops finally halted the German offensive here in March 1918. Links between Villers-Bretonneux and Australia have been strong since this time and the village really fills all Australians with a sense of belonging and unexplainable pride (well it did for us anyway). The prime example of this relationship is seen at the Victoria School, destroyed during the war and then reconstructed in 1927 using funds donated by Victorian school children. In the school’s playground is a sign that reads “Do not forget Australia” which brings forth a proud tear to any proud Aussie. This sentiment is reflected around the town with plenty of welcoming smiles and friendly gestures from the locals when they realise you are Australian.

Also in the school, housed on the first floor, is the Franco-Australian Museum. This is a museum dedicated to the Australian troops and their role in the first world war. Again it was an experience that made us proud to be Australian and helped us further realise the great work and sacrifice these boys and men made for us and France.

The people of Villers-Bretonneux also celebrate ANZAC day every year, holding its ceremony on the Saturday closest to the 25th April.

From the village we made our way out to the Australian National Memorial and the Villers-Bretonneux Military cemetery that lies in front of this memorial. The imposing white stone memorial consists of a tall central tower and 2 corner pavilions linked to the tower by a wall that bears the names of the 10 772 Australians who were killed in France and have no known grave. This includes men from every battle in France except The Battle of Fromelles. The missing men from this battle are recorded at VC Corner in Fromelles.

We then made our way to Adelaide Cemetery where the ‘Unknown Soldier’ who now rests at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra was originally buried. He was moved from here in 1993 and this action further strengthened the tie between Villers-Bretonneux and Australia.

We also visited the Australian Memorial Park at Le Hamel. This site was laid out by the Australian Government in 1998. The walk into this memorial is lined with plaques and information boards outlining the strategic significance of the ground where the memorial now sits and the role that the Australians played in this particular battle. There were also some preserved trenches here.

In our drive today we also saw many locations of significance in Australian WW1 history. The book we are using as a guide “Walking with the ANZACs” by Mat McLachlan outlines some of the locations and history of the ground you are either walking or driving on. This makes it even more fascinating as today it is difficult to imagine because it has all been utilised for farming. Of note today we walked into a section of farmland that was the site of ‘Pear Trench’ which was near where Private Harry Dalziel won his Victoria Cross (VC).