The First World War left Northern France steeped in Australian history and remembrance. The Australian Remembrance Trail along the Western Front links significant battlefields, cemeteries, memorials and museums all sharing their own experiences of the First World War.
©CRT Hauts-de-France Nicolas Bryant
Offering an introduction to the Australian Remembrance Trail, the Sir John Monash Centre uses state-of-the-art technology, to tell the stories of those who served here in their own words. Each visitor is invited to download the SJMC app, available for free, which works as a virtual tour guide, allowing visitors to experience the site at their own pace and providing a seamless and deeply personal experience for visitors as they journey through the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, the Australian National Memorial and the Centre itself.
The Australian Remembrance Trail links the most significant sites along the 200km trail from Ieper (Ypres) on the Channel coast in Belgium to Bellenglise in northern France, and includes battlefields, cemeteries, memorials and museums – all sharing their own experiences of the First World War.
©AnneSophieFlamentCRTCHautsdeFrance
Villers-Bretonneux was the theatre of much fighting in the spring of 1918 with Australian troops famously recapturing the town from German hands over 25 April 1918, three years to the day after the Gallipoli Landings.
After the war, the state of Victoria raised funds to help rebuild the town, including the school which opened in 1927. Victoria School still welcomes the local children today and its story will be remembered as in the schoolyard hangs a large sign reading ‘Do not forget Australia’.
Located on the first floor of the school building, the Franco-Australian Museum tells the story of the bond and longstanding friendship that has been forged between the two nations. It was inaugurated in April 1975 and renovated in 2017 and contains artefacts donated by Australian soldiers and their families. At the entrance of Villers-Bretonneux lies Adelaide Cemetery, the original resting place of the Australian Unknown Soldier, who was returned to Australia in 1993 and now lies in the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial.
Useful information:Villers-Bretonneux is 1h20m from Lille by car and is accessible by train.
For more information about the Franco-Australian Museum visit:
©SommeTourisme-LV-Vignacourt 14-18
Vignacourt is a small rural town which, for over a hundred years, unknowingly hid an incredible treasure. Vignacourt, located at a safe distance behind Allied lines, was an important resting place and training area for Allied troops during the war. The village would have offered some comfort to the men who could frequent its cafés and estaminets and enjoy time with the locals.
Louis and Antoinette Thuillier were farmers and keen amateur photographers who lived in the village. During the war, they turned their home into a photography studio where many soldiers and civilians came to have their picture taken, often as souvenirs to send back home to their loved ones.
In 2011, 4,000 photographic plates were uncovered by an Australian film crew in the farmhouse attic. The collection includes many aspects of Australian involvement on the Western Front, from military life to the friendships and bonds formed between the soldiers and civilians.
Today, the Vignacourt 14-18 Interpretive Centre welcomes visitors to the Thuillier’s former home and shares the stories of the family, the photograph collection, and the various people from many walks of life who visited this farmhouse. It offers some insight on a different aspect of the war, away from the trenches.
Useful information:Vignacourt is 1h30m from Lille by car
For more information about the Vignacourt 14-18 Interpretive Centre visit: www.vignacourt1418.com
The Underground City of Naours is composed of tunnels dating back to the Middle Ages. Rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century, they became a popular tourist attraction in the Somme.
Archaeological excavations in the tunnels in 2014 brought to light thousands of examples of graffiti dating from the First World War. To date, some 3,200 examples have been uncovered, 2,200 of which were made by Australian soldiers, making this the largest concentration of underground military inscriptions on the Western Front.
Through subsequent research, it was discovered that Allied soldiers visited the Underground City while on leave or convalescing behind the lines. The outing would have offered them some respite from the fighting, and a chance to enjoy some time amongst friends away from the trenches.
In 2020, the Underground City opened The Silent Soldiers of Naours, Graffiti and Men in 1914-18 Interpretive Centre. This centre reveals the stories of the men who wrote their names in the tunnels and highlights how soldiers spent their leisure time and life behind the lines.
Useful information:Naours is 1h30m from Lille by car
For more information about the Underground City of Naours and The Silent Soldiers of Naours Interpretive Centre visit:www.citesouterrainedenaours.com
The Battle of Le Hamel was the first significant operation of the Australian Corps since Lieutenant General John Monash became commander in May 1918.
©SommeTourisme-LV-Le Hamel
On 4 July 1918, 8000 men, including 1000 American infantrymen, attacked Le Hamel with 550 guns, 60 tanks and 85 aircraft in support. In 93 minutes, they had taken all their objectives, advancing 2km on a 6km front. The Germans lost 2600 men killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Some 1260 Australians and Americans were killed or wounded. The battle was regarded as a model of innovative tactics, one which was repeated on a larger scale in the series of Allied advances from 8 August which ended the war.
Located on the heights captured by the Australians in 1918, an interpretive trail overlooking the battleground leads to the Australian Corps Memorial, which was inaugurated in 2008.
Useful information:Le Hamel is 1h20m from Lille by car. The site is freely accessible all year.
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing is the largest Commonwealth War Memorial in the world and commemorates over 72,000 men who served with the British and South African forces, died mostly in 1916 and have no known grave. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who also designed the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.
©SommeTourisme-LV-Thiepval
The Thiepval Visitor Centre and Museum focus on the Battle of the Somme. The ‘chef-d’oeuvre’ of the museum is a 60metre long illuminated panorama by American illustrator Joe Sacco. It provides a continuous view of the first day of the Battle of the Somme and has been likened to the Bayeux Tapestry.
Useful information:Thiepval is located 1h by car from Lille.
