Just back from a great 5 day visit with a group of 6 last weekend. Stayed centrally at Avrils Ocean Villas, should describe it as her complex now with the new large museum! Good as always. Will post some pics over the next few days that might be of interest. may put those of Authille cemetery under the appropriate heading as wanted to take a slightly more detailed look there.
Hope of interest .

First one group members at the French cemetery Serre Road. Often overlooked in the rush to get to the Copses but three French regiments fought a grim battle here in 1915 trying to take Serre with no more luck than the British, although they did manage to advance their front line some distance to where the British took it over in late 1915, early 1916. Serre never fell to direct military assault.
SG

Great early morning view of the massive Thiepval memorial above the Ancre valley.

Picture of the trip, Thiepval across the misty morming woods and valleys.

Please, Sir, can I have some more?

Love the way you have incorporated the pastime 'poke the memorial with a stick' one of the older traditions often overlooked.

Indeed a fine sport. remember George in Blackadder " I wouldnt want to face a machine gun without my walking stick".
My friend (and it is NOT me, I,m more younger and good looking!) IS very traditional. I believe he was pointing out the faint towers of Heaven which are visible in the top left and for which the dying soldier, "Mort pour la France", is reaching.
Just a personal view but I think this is the finest French memorial I have come across.

Below Railway Hollow cemetery behind the Sheffield Memorial Park, Serre. It is a particular resting place for the Accrington Pals. The British front line ran along the ridge line at the opposite side of the trees with the german Front line on moderately higher ground about 150 yards away. SG

Waiting with interest for more of your great photographs.

As they say - "bring them on"


Tony

Except in 1918.

Good to see someone visiting the French cemetery, which for many years was a little dilapidated.

Paul correct aboout 1918 but was that a battle or part of a more general withdrawal? I must admit I dont know whern it finally fell. The French cemetery is a little better looked after now, but many of the individual crosses are rather in disrepair as the internal frame work of steel rods rust and blow away the covering concrete from which they are fashioned.

Up on the main Albert Bapaume road, just east of Pozieres, opposite the site of The Windmill and its memorial to the Australians " who fell more thickly on this ridge than in any other part of the Western front" is the tank corps memorial. This is placed here to commemorate the first use of tanks here in September 1916. Are those original driving chains and guns that surround it as the fence?
It has four highly detailed cast bronze models of the differnt types of tank that were eventually used. Even the guns and their turrets swivel in the models.

Models from the memorial, british tank ? Mk V and the high speed Whippet, could do about 8mph!!

(Safety Note; watch the traffic if visiting there on a week day ,or others. The road is very busy and high speed these days and dangerous to stray near to. Sunday morning was the quitest time to stop there. SG)

Chris,

looks like you had a good trip, I heard that one of the tanks on the memorial has a bullet hole in it from the 2nd World War, is that the hole on the 2nd tank picture? or is it one of those urban myths that I have fallen for?

Hope you are keeping well,
Regards,
Scottie.

If it is a myth, its one I've fallen for !

Mick

Scottie and Mick good to hear from you seperate e- on way to Scottie. It certainly looks like a bullet scar and that was the only one I saw so think that is indeed a "battle honour" even if from a different war.

Moving on from there we called at Lochnagar crater, here the cross on the crater lip.



And a good view into the massive crater itself. ( For scale the cross above is visible top left of crater picture. )

Now that is one eye opening, jaw dropping photograph. The explosion would have been heard in London !!!!!


Tony

The Whippet has a round from a P38 Lightening in it, which straffed this road in 1944. Other parts of the memorial show damage from the same straff. I have interviewed several local French people, now deceased, who witnessed it.

Paul,

thank you for that info and confirming that I had not lost my marbles!!!!!

To have the evidence straight from the local eye witness's is pricless.

Regards and best wishes,
Scottie.

Final pictures, the Caribou on a very blue sky afternoon, Newfoundland Memorial Park. Such a fine memorial, hard to think of a better one, personal view again.
The other pic is the New Zealand memorial to their Missing at Caterpillar Valley. My friend Colin, left, (wielder of the walking stick earlier) reckons this to be the crispest and finest lettering on the central panel anywhere. He swears this is by Eric Gill, the early 20th century artist, sculptor and carver. He may be right anyone know?

Hope pals have enjoyed them. Thanks for kind comments pleasure to put them on for pals "far away" overseas. I do have a few more of Authille cemetery but will put them on later in the Cemeteris and memorials spot.
SG

Gill designed a number of typefaces, so whilst he may not have actually carved the memorial panel himself (and I can't find it listed amongst his works, although the list I have is not exhaustive) the lettering style may well be his.

Great photos SG. Thanks for sharing them. Visited these places in July. In spite of the safety notices I left Avrils with a good lump after hitting my head off the sheet iron roof in one of the trenches while taking photographs and walking at the same time. But it was worth it.
Glen