Great start to the day with fine blue skies. Oh how easily we can be fooled.
Set off leaving Iepers for the last time heading for Amiens.
VC Corner Cemetry where there are no Australian VC winners, however where nearly 2000 Australian lost the lives in yet another fruitless attack.
Just beside this Cemetery was the Cobbers Memorial. Sgt Simon Fraser was carrying woundded soldiers back to the Australian lines and as he carried one out he heard "Don't forget me cobber" which lead to the sculpture. He was promoted, however was subsequently killed in action.
On our way we stopped at Fromelle to see the newest Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. A mass grave was found outside Fromelle at Pheasant Wood after some research by an Australian from Melbourne, as I recall.
Over 200 bodies were found and a great number identified. The local community at Fromelle donated land so the bodies could be buried in a proper cemetery, and thus the newest War Cemetery was established in 2008.
It was then onto the battlefields of the Somme, stopping at the truly majestic Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge.
The site overlooks the battlefield and it is easy to see just how strategic the ridge would be. Much of this area of northern France is undulating country. Not Vimy Ridge, which is quite an imposing ridge, easy to defend, hard to attack and hold, which the Canadians did.
At Vimy Ridge we have a packed lunch, very nice salad or a filed baguette, albeit in the bus due the to pouring rain which threatened our day.
Then on to Bullecourt where the Australians fought two battles, one for no gained ground, yet heavy loss of life, and the second in which they gained their objectives, but of course with great loss of life.
There are two memorials, The Slouch Hat memorial in the town, and the Digger Memorial just out of town, featuring a greater than life-sized statue of a digger in dull battle kit.
Over 10,000 Australians killed or wounded in the two battles.
It was then on to Amiens, our accommodation for the next 4 nights and a funny hotel called the Carlton
A early evening walk around the town takes us to the Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the largest "Classic" Gothic Churches of the 13th Century. It is massive, impressive and hard to believe just how they built it. The detail is simply stunning, and I don't like churches and cathedral. Oh for a better zoom lens to capture the intricacies of the stonework.
Dinner at the hotel was interesting, the first time we have all had dinner together with the driver.
Luckily, Luke, the driver, speaks French, or goodness knows what we would have got ie I ordered Fillet mignon (off the menu). I asked for it to be medium rare, to find out that in Norther France, at least, this is a cut of pork!!! It was good in any case, but rather unexpected.
Some of the group work on the principal that they'll understand better if you speak more loudly! Works for me, but then I do speak English.
Any way we got a good meal, and some rather good vin rouge, at last.
Picasa albums for today's pictures
Set off leaving Iepers for the last time heading for Amiens.
VC Corner Cemetry where there are no Australian VC winners, however where nearly 2000 Australian lost the lives in yet another fruitless attack.
Just beside this Cemetery was the Cobbers Memorial. Sgt Simon Fraser was carrying woundded soldiers back to the Australian lines and as he carried one out he heard "Don't forget me cobber" which lead to the sculpture. He was promoted, however was subsequently killed in action.
On our way we stopped at Fromelle to see the newest Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. A mass grave was found outside Fromelle at Pheasant Wood after some research by an Australian from Melbourne, as I recall.
Over 200 bodies were found and a great number identified. The local community at Fromelle donated land so the bodies could be buried in a proper cemetery, and thus the newest War Cemetery was established in 2008.
It was then onto the battlefields of the Somme, stopping at the truly majestic Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge.
The site overlooks the battlefield and it is easy to see just how strategic the ridge would be. Much of this area of northern France is undulating country. Not Vimy Ridge, which is quite an imposing ridge, easy to defend, hard to attack and hold, which the Canadians did.
At Vimy Ridge we have a packed lunch, very nice salad or a filed baguette, albeit in the bus due the to pouring rain which threatened our day.
Then on to Bullecourt where the Australians fought two battles, one for no gained ground, yet heavy loss of life, and the second in which they gained their objectives, but of course with great loss of life.
There are two memorials, The Slouch Hat memorial in the town, and the Digger Memorial just out of town, featuring a greater than life-sized statue of a digger in dull battle kit.
Over 10,000 Australians killed or wounded in the two battles.
It was then on to Amiens, our accommodation for the next 4 nights and a funny hotel called the Carlton
A early evening walk around the town takes us to the Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the largest "Classic" Gothic Churches of the 13th Century. It is massive, impressive and hard to believe just how they built it. The detail is simply stunning, and I don't like churches and cathedral. Oh for a better zoom lens to capture the intricacies of the stonework.
Dinner at the hotel was interesting, the first time we have all had dinner together with the driver.
Luckily, Luke, the driver, speaks French, or goodness knows what we would have got ie I ordered Fillet mignon (off the menu). I asked for it to be medium rare, to find out that in Norther France, at least, this is a cut of pork!!! It was good in any case, but rather unexpected.
Some of the group work on the principal that they'll understand better if you speak more loudly! Works for me, but then I do speak English.
Any way we got a good meal, and some rather good vin rouge, at last.
Picasa albums for today's pictures
No comments:
Post a Comment