2geonomads

Sunday 1st November 2015

Up early again as we have to pack our bags, hand in the car and catch the train to St Pancras. In the meantime there is still much to see.

On yet another beautiful day we return to Thiepval where on 1st July 1916 100,00 inexperienced soldiers( Pals Battalions) went over the top with disastrous results. At the end of this first day of the Battle of the Somme ( known as ” the bloodiest day of the British Army) 60,000 British soldiers had become casualties. The German losses represent about 1/10 of this number. Thiepval was finally captured on 27th September 1916, retaken in March 1918 and finally recaptured by British troops in August 1918.

The British army suffered more than 420,000 casualties during the Battle of the Somme.

The magnificent Thiepval Memorial at 45 metres high is the largest British war memorial in the world and it commemorates more than 72205 men from British and South African armies who were declared missing in the Somme between July 1915 and March 1918. Either the bodies of these men were never found or the body could not be identified.

A 45 minute video at the Thiepval Visitor Centre gives a great overview of the Great War.

Pozieres is another name which resonates with many Australians and a village in Queensland took the name after the war.  At the Pozieres Milititary Cemetery 2700 soldiers are buried and 14,00 are commemorated on the surrounding walls.

It is also the site of a grassy hill called ‘ The Windmill’ and it was here in July and August  1916 that Australian troops lost more men than on any other battlefield during the war.

In the midst of all of the brutality of war it was heartening to read of Percy Cherry, an Australian captain, who took from the hands of a dying German officer a packet of letters to be sent to his family in Germany.

Before driving north to Calais we visit the understated but moving memorial  to the New Zealand Division who launched a successful attack on Flers in September 1916 and it is here that commemorations are held around Anzac Day each year.

We say farewell to the Somme area by visiting Rancourt which has the dubious and sad distinction of having three cemeteries, French ,German and British within its boundaries. The first two alone contain the remains of  20,000 soldiers, a very sombre note on which to end our unforgettable tour of this area.

It’s toll road time again for the drive up to Calais and we arrive at the TGV station and the Avis office in spite of our having been given incorrect directions. Finding a service station to fill up the car is a totally different matter and after driving down a number of minor roads and my passenger becoming very stressed out we decide to drop off the car with the tank only 3/4 full.

Waiting to go through Immigration we end up in the queue next to a drunk who looks, sounds and smells as if he has had a very long liquid lunch or perhaps week. However, he obviously sobers up enough ( or is very Oggy actor ) for the Immigration officials to let him through.

Unfortunately, another guy is not so fortunate and has a very tough time selling a convincing story to the officials.We last see him being taken to one side for further interrogation and  we suspect that he may not be leaving French shores today.

Arrive at St Pancras after a very speedy and comfortable train journey and then it’s on to the tube and Heathrow.

The Airport Sofitel is fine and we enjoy a very good light meal in the restaurant.

Before turning in I think back to our European sojourn and whilst nothing can outdo ‘ Rudey Leg Lies ‘ a few other things spring to mind.

Smoking- an incredible number of French and Spanish smoke, and the habit is particularly among young women.

Grenoble- this town was a huge disappointment as we had expected a pristine large ski centre servicing the surrounding resorts. Instead we saw pollution at a level seen nowhere else on our travels and a population seemingly lacking any pride in what could be an attractive city.

Autumn colours and the Champagne region- I had probably forgotten how glorious the Autumn colours can be and the rolling hills of the Champagne area were an absolute delight. Definitely must re-visit this region in the future.

The Futility of War- never have we been confronted by so many examples of the futility of war. However, we were constantly amazed by the way in which the French nationals expressed the huge debt of gratitude owed to the soldiers from overseas by never allowing the many memorials to deteriorate through neglect.

The Obese Ferret.