REMEMBRANCE TOURISM GUIDE 2020


Somme American Cemetery The Somme American Cemetery and Memorial lies on a gentle slope typical of the rolling Picardy countryside. The cemetery contains the graves of 1,844 US military dead. Most lost their lives serving in units attached to British forces, or in operations near Cantigny. www.abmc.gov


Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery


Located in Romagne-sous- Montfaucon, this is the largest American war cemetery in Europe. Some 27,000 American soldiers were buried here until the 1920s, when 60 per cent of them were relocated to the US. Today it has 14,246 graves, rising in rows towards a chapel where stained-glass windows portray American military badges. A gallery behind the chapel displays panels naming the 954 American troops whose bodies were never recovered, as well as a map detailing the events of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. www.abmc.gov


Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery


A 40-acre cemetery at


Thiaucourt-Regniéville contains the graves of 4,153 US soldiers; the majority of whom died in the Saint-Mihiel Salient. The site is divided by rows of linden trees, with a sundial in its centre topped by an American eagle carved from white stone. There is a chapel at the far end of the graveyard in which visitors can see a map made of inlaid marble depicting the movements of the US Army in the Saint-Mihiel Salient, as well as the names of 284 American soldiers whose remains were never recovered. www.abmc.gov


Souilly Market American 1st Army Headquarters Souilly’s town hall was used as the headquarters of the American First Army towards the end of the First World War. A bronze relief tablet on the building’s façade bears an inscription


Crosses lit up across Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery


identifying its role in the war, which focused on the Meuse- Argonne Offensive. www.abmc.gov


Blanc Mont (Sommepy) American Memorial A former German observatory, this memorial is a single tower on the battlefield known as ‘Blanc Mont’ (White Mount), which was conquered by the 2nd Marine Division in 1918 after a series of bloody battles in which more than 6,000 US soldiers lost their lives. The tower has panoramic views over the battlefield and some remains of the trenches are still visible. www.abmc.gov


See also  Wadelincourt American War Memorial


 Franco-American Memorial Room, Sommepy-Tahure


 Montsec American Monument  Montfaucon American Memorial


 Sergeant York Historic Trail


AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND IN THE GREAT WAR


Australian and New Zealand troops were involved in action across the globe during the Great War. Every year, on April 25, ANZAC Day is held in remembrance of the 60,000 Australian and 16,000 New Zealand soldiers who lost their lives in the conflict.


On ANZAC Day 2018, the Sir John Monash Centre, commemorating Australia’s role


in the war, was inaugurated at Villers-Bretonneux.


New Zealand committed more than 100,000 servicemen to the war effort and suffered the highest per capita death and casualty rates of any country involved. The loss of life on the Western Front and in Belgium was more than 13,000.


AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND MUSEUMS,


MEMORIALS AND CEMETERIES  Australian National Memorial and Franco- Australian Museum, Villers- Bretonneux


 Australian Memorial Park, Le Hamel


 Centre Vignacourt 14-18  Memorial to the 1st Australian Division, Pozières


 VC Corner and Australian Memorial


 Australian Memorial Park  Pheasant Wood Cemetery  New Zealand Memorial of Longueval


 Caterpillar Valley Memorial  Buttes Polygon Wood Memorial


 NZ Messines Ridge Memorial  Euston Road Cemetery  Tunnels of Arras and Carrière Wellington Museum


 Quesnoy National Memorial  Tyne Cot Memorial


CANADA IN THE GREAT WAR


During the four years of the war, Canada suffered devastating losses. Early on, in support of


Great Britain, Canadian troops saw action in 1915 at the Ypres Salient, where 2,000 lost their lives in the infamous poison gas battles and suffered terrible losses at the Battle of the Somme. In 1917, all four divisions claimed a major victory at Vimy Ridge. This proved a great milestone in the war, albeit at the price of over 10,000 casualties.


Vimy Ridge


A memorial site for the Canadian Expeditionary Force members who were killed during the Great War, Vimy Ridge also serves as the place of commemoration for the Canadian soldiers killed or presumed dead in France who have no known grave. www.vimyfoundation.ca/learn/ the-vimy-memorial/


Newfoundland Memorial Dedicated to the Dominion of Newfoundland force members who were killed during the Great War, the battlefield park in Beaumont-Hamel includes the grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on July 1, 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme.


TOURISM CONTACTS Meuse www.tourisme-meuse.com Somme www.visit-somme.com Pas-de-Calais


pas-de-calais-tourisme.com/en Seine et Marne tourisme.seine-et-marne- attractivite.fr


PLACES TO STAY Contact the local tourist board for more places to stay.


Le Macassar Hotel Corbie, the Somme www.lemacassar.com


Hotel Ibis Albert Albert, the Somme all.accor.com


Hotel Royal Picardie Albert, the Somme www.royalpicardie.com FT


Apr/May 2020 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 145


IMAGE © SOPHIE NADEAU


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20