REMEMBRANCE 2023 THE GUIDE
Musée Somme 1916 Albert, Somme
The Battle of the Somme cost one million lives. Heading down into the subterranean Musée Somme 1916 is a sobering experience, only emphasised by the dark alcoves and trenches. The museum works exceptionally well as an educational day out: families can follow in the mud-laden footsteps of the soldiers themselves, observe recreated scenes and pore over the collection of helmets, uniforms and weapons before embarking on the Remembrance Trail.
www.somme-trench-museum.
co.uk
Mémorial de l’Armistice Compiègne, Oise
In a railway carriage, in a clearing in the Compiègne Forest, the Allies and the Germans signed the armistice on November 11, 1918, which finally brought an end to the First World War. Twenty-two years later in June 1940, Hitler, bent on revenge, chose exactly the same place to force the French to sign their surrender. Now, the original railway carriage forms the focal point of this intriguing museum, which is not far north of Paris.
www.musee-armistice-14-18.fr
Carrière Wellington Arras, Pas-de-Calais
Descending the lift shaft into the Wellington Quarry, beneath the town of Arras, you get a real sense of just
The Vimy Memorial in honour of the Canadians who fought during the First World War
how grim and sombre it must have been for the Allied soldiers who excavated these tunnels in the effort to defeat the Germans during the Great War. The majority of them were New Zealanders, but they were joined by miners from Britain, too. Together they extended and linked up the old limestone quarries to create over 10 miles of tunnels which snaked their way from the main town all the way underneath no man’s land, as far as the German front line. Now modern-day visitors can descend into the tunnels too.
www.carrierewellington.com/en
Vimy Memorial Vimy, Pas-de-Calais
On the opening day of the Battle of Arras, in April 1917, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps, fighting side by side for the first time,
captured the tactical 60m-high Vimy Ridge. After the war, it was on this ridge that the Vimy Memorial was built, a tribute to all
Canadians who fought during the First World War and particularly to the 60,000 who gave their lives in France. The monument, designed by W.S. Allward, was unveiled by King Edward VIII in 1936.
cwgc.org
Fort Douaumont Verdun, Meuse
This is the tallest of the 19 forts built following the Franco-Prussian War to protect Verdun from attacks. With accompanying barracks, the building was constantly modernised and fortified in the years leading up to 1914. Plaques commemorate those who tragically lost their lives here and tell the fascinating story of the fort’s capture, as well as its later recapture by French troops.
www.meusetourism.com
Villers-Bretonneux Cemetery remembers the fallen
Memorial 14-18 Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, Pas-de-Calais This is the largest necropolis in France, containing the remains of more than 42,000 French soldiers, with a beautiful basilica and memorial buildings. There is also the Anneau de la
Mémoire (Remembrance Ring), a vast, modern-day sculptural memorial engraved with the names of nearly 600,000 soldiers who died.
memorial1418.com
Mémorial Dormans Dormans, Marne
Standing on top of a hill in the grounds of Château de Dormans, this is the principal monument to the soldiers who were killed in the two Battles of the Marne, and more than 19,000 visitors come here each year. Built in 1919, with a 52m steeple and a long staircase leading to its entrance, the chapel offers views over the Marne valley.
en.memorialdormans14-18.com
Aisne-Marne American Cemetery Belleau, Aisne
At the foot of Belleau Wood, this cemetery contains the graves of well over 2,000 US soldiers who fought in the Marne Valley in the summer of 1918. The memorial chapel sits on a hillside, decorated with sculptured and stained- glass details of wartime personnel, equipment and insignia. Inscribed on its interior wall are 1,060 names of the missing. It’s a deeply moving memorial.
www.abmc.gov/aisne-marne FT
Oct/Nov 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 129
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