2009 Battlefield Tour of The Somme, Day 4
Tuesday 11th August 2009
To start with Tuesday was a rather cool day in fact there was very light rain so we opted for a walk, perfect walking weather. We walked Auchonvillers to Beaumont Hamel then over the fields to Newfoundland Park. Newfoundland Park is now a national war memorial park to all Newfoundland men lost during WW1 but particularly the Battle of The Somme (which actually raged for 4 months) and the terrible events of the first day. The land the park stands on was purchased outright by the government of Newfoundland in the early 1920's and now that Newfoundland is officially part of Canada it is staffed by Canadian students who do 6 month stints in France alternating between Vimy Ridge and Newfoundland Park (there is a big waiting list for these post's).
We walked back to Auchonvillers to fetch the car on the way back we stopped of at the local civilian communal cemetery which contains a handful of graves of men who were all killed on the same day in 1916. We then drove out to Ancre Cemetery. Alice has done some research on a casualty Albert Edward Holman from the 11th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment he was killed in action fighting over the ground to the rear of what is now Ancre Cemetery. Albert has no known grave and is commemorated on Thiepval Memorial. We did however find a number of graves to Royal Sussex men who were unidentified (Known Unto God), so even though the regiment is known, the identity of the casualty isn’t. We stopped at the grave of one of a “Known Unto God” Royal Sussex Regiment casualty, who knows it could be Albert Holman! Walking in the field to the side of the cemetery I tripped over a live shell, dragged up only a couple of days ago by the plough!!
From Ancre Cemetery the next stop on our tour for the day was Ulster Tower a memorial to the men of the 36th Ulster Division (which is about 2 miles from Newfoundland Park) and a tour of the part excavated trench system in Thiepval Woods opposite the tower, Ted our guide the curator of the tower and woods is very knowledgeable and engages with his audience, even if you have no interest in WW1 but maybe an interest in history in general and happen to be in the area, a tour of Thiepval Woods is a must.
The weather brightened up and on our way back to Auchonvillers Alice found a live shell. The detonator may not of gone off (the reason its still in one piece) but the rest of it is still live and after 90 years in the ground is more than a little unstable, try telling her that though, by the time I'd opened my mouth she had picked it up!!
The day (no surprise here) ended with Leffe, red wine and plenty of French cheeses.
The land at the back of Ancre Cemetery beyond the white cross in the background, is where Albert Holman was killed.
This is the patch of land Albert was killed fighting over, he and his battalion were moving left to right, towards Beaumont Hamel.
To start with Tuesday was a rather cool day in fact there was very light rain so we opted for a walk, perfect walking weather. We walked Auchonvillers to Beaumont Hamel then over the fields to Newfoundland Park. Newfoundland Park is now a national war memorial park to all Newfoundland men lost during WW1 but particularly the Battle of The Somme (which actually raged for 4 months) and the terrible events of the first day. The land the park stands on was purchased outright by the government of Newfoundland in the early 1920's and now that Newfoundland is officially part of Canada it is staffed by Canadian students who do 6 month stints in France alternating between Vimy Ridge and Newfoundland Park (there is a big waiting list for these post's).
We walked back to Auchonvillers to fetch the car on the way back we stopped of at the local civilian communal cemetery which contains a handful of graves of men who were all killed on the same day in 1916. We then drove out to Ancre Cemetery. Alice has done some research on a casualty Albert Edward Holman from the 11th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment he was killed in action fighting over the ground to the rear of what is now Ancre Cemetery. Albert has no known grave and is commemorated on Thiepval Memorial. We did however find a number of graves to Royal Sussex men who were unidentified (Known Unto God), so even though the regiment is known, the identity of the casualty isn’t. We stopped at the grave of one of a “Known Unto God” Royal Sussex Regiment casualty, who knows it could be Albert Holman! Walking in the field to the side of the cemetery I tripped over a live shell, dragged up only a couple of days ago by the plough!!
From Ancre Cemetery the next stop on our tour for the day was Ulster Tower a memorial to the men of the 36th Ulster Division (which is about 2 miles from Newfoundland Park) and a tour of the part excavated trench system in Thiepval Woods opposite the tower, Ted our guide the curator of the tower and woods is very knowledgeable and engages with his audience, even if you have no interest in WW1 but maybe an interest in history in general and happen to be in the area, a tour of Thiepval Woods is a must.
The weather brightened up and on our way back to Auchonvillers Alice found a live shell. The detonator may not of gone off (the reason its still in one piece) but the rest of it is still live and after 90 years in the ground is more than a little unstable, try telling her that though, by the time I'd opened my mouth she had picked it up!!
The day (no surprise here) ended with Leffe, red wine and plenty of French cheeses.
The land at the back of Ancre Cemetery beyond the white cross in the background, is where Albert Holman was killed.
This is the patch of land Albert was killed fighting over, he and his battalion were moving left to right, towards Beaumont Hamel.
posted by Whitey in Telford at
07:04
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