September 21, 2018 Touring the Somme Battle Field

Today was a rest day in Lille so we took a driving tour of the Somme Battle fields.  Ken agreed to give Agnes a day off and drive the van.  The parking expired at 9:00 AM so we were at the van and ready to go. 

The first order of business was to drive down to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.   This memorial was constructed to honor the British and French soldiers who were missing in action on the Somme battle fields.  The memorial included a very interesting museum which brought to life through a series of murals the live in the Somme.  It started with the initial euphonium that the war would be over by Christmas to the grief and despair of the battle.  The Somme was the worst day in British military history with 19,240 killed and 57,470 casualties.   The monument is a huge brick structure which is 140 feet high and sits on top of a hill.  When we got there the wind was just howling.  It was screaming through the huge arch ways. Some of the wreaths were blowing off into the grass field.

There is a cemetery or marker on almost every corner.  Stopping to look at everyone would take a life time. So we drove past a lot of them but the Welsh Tower monument caught our eye so we stopped.  The regiment was having a ceremony so we watched for a while.

From there we drove over to see the Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel. It is set on the site of the Newfoundland action in the Somme and covers 47 hectares.  In this action almost all of the Newfoundland regiment was killed.  The monument includes a visitors center which recreates a typical  1915 Newfoundland home, a large parcel of the 47 hectares which are still in the same condition as it was in 1918 and the monument which is a large caribou.  It is a very striking monument. The caribou is a well know symbol of Newfoundland.

From there we headed over to the Lochnagar Crater. It was created when a tunnel which had been dug under the German trench and packed with 45,000 pounds of explosives was set off.  This was the kick of the infantry charge of the first battle of the Somme.  The crater is at least 250 feet in diameter and 75 feet deep.  It is a really deep hole.  The perimeter of the crater has a board walk around it and every board has a brass plaque to a soldier who was on the Somme.

What tour would be complete without a  trip to the boulangerie and that was the next stop on the tour.  The blue cheese and ham sandwiches were great. 

The last stop on the driving tour was the Fricourt German Military Cemetery.  It is a very stark contrast to the Commonwealth cemeteries which have large well-manicured lawns and grounds and individual grave markers. In the German cemetery there are four graves per marker.  Two side by side in the front and two in the rear.  Name, rank, and date of death are given.  It is certainly a much different perspective on the war memorial. 

Tomorrow we are off to Saint Quentin.  It is a 105 kms day with 458 meters of climb, however there is a very nasty wind out of the south forecast and I am not looking forward to a full day of struggling into the wind.

Terry hot biker