Much like the region around Ypres, there are lots of cemeteries, normally along small, muddy roads. My first planned destination was the Hawthorn Crater. This is one of the mines that was detonated below the German lines at the outset of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The explosion was captured on film and is frequently shown in documentaries about the Battle of the Somme. After driving around the area for a while, I found the Newfoundland Park Memorial & Visitors Centre and pulled over to have a look.
It was a portion of the British and Canadian Front line on 1st July 1916 when the Battle of the Somme began. A number of the trenches are very well maintained and looking out from the Caribou Monument, it is possible to get a pretty good understanding of the landscape and the path of assault. It’s also frighteningly apparent how far the soldiers were required to move across open space in the face of artillery and machine guns.
At Newfoundland Park, I was provided directions to help me find the Hawthorn Crater and as it happened I’d driven straight by it. It wasn’t long before I arrived back and found the access point along a fairly muddy field. At first I was hesitant but decided it’s part and parcel of the experience. I got to the side of the crater but it really was very over grown therefore I didn’t go too far and I was quickly going to my next stop, Ulster Tower. It is a memorial to the Ulster Regiments who performed so well on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
Near by is the Thiepval Memorial that is the largest British War Memorial on earth. Each 1st July, a big ceremony is held here to honour the dead. The tower is visible from quite a distance and addititionally there is an interesting visitors centre with information about the battles fought here.
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Not far away is the South African Memorial at Delville Wood. The memorial was dedicated to all South African conflicts, not just those in The Great War. As with all the memorials, Delville Wood is sacred ground but I found it in particular to be very tranquil and appropriate. I’m not really sure what made Delville Wood stand out for me but for me, there was just something rather special about this place.
My last stop of the day was a brief one at the place to the east of Amiens where the Red Baron was shot down. There isn’t really much to see except for a little notice board by the side of the road. It is located by a local factory with a prominent chimney. The history of the Red Baron is certainly one of the 1st I heard about concerning World War I hence although there wasn’t much to see, it was something that I wanted to do. The Red Baron was a German air ace called Baron Manfred von Richthofen. From 1916 – 1918, he shot down a total of 80 Allied planes and was finally shot down but ground fire from an Australian unit on 21 April 1918.
The Somme battlefields are commonly known as the place where some of the heaviest fighting of World War I occurred. Today, there are countless cemeteries and memorials like Thiepval Memorial commemorating those who died here.. Also published at One Day In The Region Around The Somme.