Somme (WWI) and Normandy (WW2) - remembering how our freedom was won

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13 March 2017

Arrived in Paris at 8pm and got to the Hotel Monge at 9pm. We raced to the Laundromat but it was closed but would open again at 6.30am. Undeterred we went for dinner and consumed another bottle of wine between us. What the hell, we are only in France for a short time – make the best of it.

14 March 2017

We managed to get our clothes washed and dried and check out of the hotel by 9.30am. Got to the hire car company by 10. We decided to upgrade our car to a BMW grand tourer. So off we go into unknown traffic systems in car worth more than my annual wage! My stress levels can only go up from there.

Once out of Paris (after a few wrong turns, screaming and yelling - between us not at other drivers), we manage a pretty straightforward drive to Peronne. We wanted to have a first look at the Somme area. It was here in 1916 that Australian and New Zealand soldiers joined soldiers from many other nations (known as the allies) to stop the Germans from invading France through their northern borders. To the Germans this was called the “Western Front”. The Germans were also fighting the Russians at the same time on their “Eastern Front”. The Battle of the Somme lasted 5 months! There was great loss of life o both sides as well as destruction of towns, villages and buildings across the battlefields. It is also fortunate for us that we were in this area in one of the centenary years (2016, 2017, 2018) so there has been a lot in extra effort put into the sites.

Peronne is one of the key areas where Aussies were engaged in trench warfare during WW1. We visited the museum there and were impressed by the way the displays have been set up and the messages relayed. They call it Historial de la Grande Guerre or Historial, Museum of the Great War. Historial means it is a mix of a memorial and museum. It was absolutely wonderful and I felt I got a real sense of the times – not the horror as I imagine one could not ever know that unless you were there - but some level of how it might have been. Totally stunning display and a must see for all Aussies and Kiwis. Our forefathers must have been amazing people, and deserve our gratitude. I will view Remembrance Day quite differently now.

Our first overnight stop is Amiens. Discovered one of our bags was missing. It was the one with all of our underwear socks and toiletries. We tracked down the bag to the parking garage where we had picked up the car. They would hold it for us until we picked it up. Considering the horror of leaving Paris that very day, we elected to collect our bag when we left Amiens it is less than 200 kms from Paris. The next issue was to get the necessary supplies to cover us for a couple of days, so off we went into Amiens to try to find something that was open. Luckily for us the apartment we were in was walking distance into the city and the stores did not close until later in the evening.

15 March 2017

Today we followed the Remembrance Trail through the Somme battlefields. We spent quite a bit of time at Pozierre which was the area where the Aussies had significant success and made significant sacrifice of the lives of the soldiers. I think the way the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the French have worked together to honour the fallen through the upkeep of the cemeteries as well as the establishment and maintenance of the significant places in the area is impressive. Reading about what had happened and seeing the places first hand gave me a better understanding of what had happened.

We travelled to the other museum and memorial at Thiepval. This museum is similar to the one in Peronne. The way the artifacts are presented and the story told through huge wall size posters with photos and maps is very interesting. They also used a timeline and short videos to describe the background leading to the war as well as how the locals dealt with it and so on. Fascinating! The memorial at Theipval honours the 72,000 soldiers who were never found or identified after the war. There are 16 large pillars in the memorial with four sides filled with the names of those who were never laid to rest. Very confronting to think that the families of those 72,000 had little closure over the loss.

As we make our way to Villers-Bretonneux we pass many military graveyards for the fallen soldiers of WWI from a variety of nations. To stop at each one would take weeks. At Villers-Bretonneux we found the memorial under refurbishment. It looked as though they were making better car park. Not to be deterred, we parked in the existing car park (where the sign said it was only for buses) and headed off to the memorial. Having seen this on TV on Anzac Day in 2015, I recognised the building and knew we were at the right place. What I had not realized until I visited, is that this area was the scene of a great triumph of the AIF (Australian Imperial Forces) as they had stopped the advance of the Germans here. Also it occurred on 25 April 2018!! I always associated 25 April with crazy military orders to land at Gallipoli and the loss of so many lives. Now I can include this success attributed to the Aussies. It is humbling to think that 100 years ago, Aussies and Kiwis voluntarily travelled half way around the world to fight for the freedom of other nations. I am not sure that would happen these days.

16 March 2017

Our plan for today was to head off to Normandy via Paris to pick up the missing bag. With great trepidation we set the GPS to Gare de Lyon (the Railway station where the trains head to Lyon) as this was where we had picked up the car. Contrary to what we expected it was a reasonably easy travel into the centre of Paris – just a couple of missed turns – nothing major. We then set the GPS to Le Havre. The trip out there was quite uneventful. Le Havre is a rather quaint seaside city. I remember reading that this port, over the last few centuries, was popular for smuggling. More recently it played a role in WW2 where the Germans held it until the allies captured it in September 1944.

Our accommodation in Rennes was cancelled so we opted for a BnB in a little village called Dinge. The host Fabienne was very helpful and considerate. She made our stay here so enjoyable. The BnB was called Le Clos des Anges. Her touches across the bedroom, bathroom, dining room and so on were quite chic/elegant. We had our dinner here on the first night, as there are no restaurants in the village. Her cooking was also wonderful. I really enjoyed this place, and would recommend it in heartbeat.

The next day we headed into Normandy to have a look at Omaha Beach. We were considering not making this trek given we lost 4 hrs by going into Paris yesterday. However it was interesting to see the terrain, where the US forces landed in June 1944. It was one of about 6 beaches and it was the one that saw the greatest loss of life. Looking around at the terrain, it is understandable that the Germans would have had the advantage. However the soldiers managed to take the beach after great difficulty and intervention from the Navy.

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Photos

Memorial to 3rd Australian Division
Close to la Salle