Our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 boys) are going to Europe for the first time this June and we are so excited! Our itinerary includes 3 nights in Paris, 2 nights in Bayeux and 1 night in Albert before we head to Lille to take the train to the Netherlands. We will have a car rental once we leave Paris. Here is where I would like any thoughts and advice. When we are in Albert our plan is to tour WW I sights relating to the Battle of the Somme. We will only have 3/4 of a day -8 hrs. I know, I know not enough time to do it justice but I would rather see a little than nothing at all. I have already ordered the Major and Mrs.Holt's Guide to the Battle of the Somme. Do you have any suggestions as to a must see museum, cemetery or bunker? Do you know of a good route for a self guided tour? I am finding information on the Somme a little trickier to find centralized than say the D-day beaches, but that could simply be my lack of knowledge. Thank you for any thoughts!
Posted by
San Francisco
14509 posts
Hi,
In the last 20 years or so a number of books in the historiography of the Somme have been published. Try an older book , that by M. Middlebrook, or seen from the other side, "The German Way of War." A "must see" museum is the one in Albert, which when I was there in 1999 had the Union Jack flying over it. That building I think was the British Tac HQ. Nearby is the town Peronne which also houses the extensive museum on WW 1. You most likely can obtain information on the Somme at the Albert museum. If you want to see the geography of the sights, a rental car is needed since the battle lines can tracked by the dates posted, which you'll see driving along the road. That MM guide (well known for its professionalism) you've ordered is basically what you need to cover the Somme area.
You're driving from Paris to Lille, a long stretch. I know this area well, the north of France of Picardie and Nord Pas de Calais, spent numerous days going through the towns and villages. If you have the time to stop off in Arras en route to Lille, I suggest that. Paris to Arras under normal traffic is 2hrs. On the TGV only 40 mins. Arras was the General HQ for the BEF, lots of info on the war cemteries, monuments, etc can be obtained in the Tourist Office located on the ground floor of the Hotel de Ville. There is also an underground museum in this City Hall, which is seen only by way of a tour given only in French. The underground area was used by the British Army. That's the goal of the tour.
Posted by
San Francisco
14509 posts
Hi,
One more thing....Because of the strategic importance of Arras due to its location, the place was fought over three times in WW 1 and again in 1940 and 1944. If you have time to walk through the centre ville, you'll see the plaques commemorating the 1940 event as well as that of its liberation in 1944.
On WW1 Arras is the site of a large British WW 1 cemetery at the edge of town, (takes one than a hour to walk it from the train station), next to the former French Army base/barracks, La Citadelle. That place was closed off to the public when I saw it last but not any more. One can freely enter the grounds now since the French Army pulled out of it.
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
1975 posts
I think Albert is well located for visiting the Somme sites. I have seen much, but not everything about WW1, with all the respect at a certain point enough is enough. North of Albert worth a visit was Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorail and made a stop at the Red Baron crash site along the D1 near Corbie, southwest of Albert. Was not so impressed by the museum in Péronne, but likely some have a different opinion. So far my visits there.
On the way to Beaumont-Hamel you can stop at the Lochnagar crater – La Boiselle and the Thiepval Memorial which has a visitor centre. Have no idea but if the museum in Villers-Bretonneux is of interest you can make that stop at the D1, but just being an explanation board. North of Arras the Vimy Ridge Memorial and nearby Notre-Dame de Lorette are the places worth to visit, you can do that on your way to Lille.
So far the best museum about WW1 I have visited is the one in Meaux, just outside Paris. It starts with a good explanation about the political tensions leading to the conflict between Germany and France since 1870. It is mostly seen through the eyes of the French, but gives the necessary insight and feel about the why of the war. Inside Paris Musée de l’Armee is worth a visit too.
Posted by
OP
WV, USA
115 posts
Thank you for such thoughtful answers. You both have definitely made our trip better and I will spend the next week organizing a plan for this area. I have already ordered the Middlebrook book and I am thrilled that we can go to places such as the Lochnager crater. Thanks!
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4044 posts
If you have a half day free while in Arras, the Vimy battleground is an easy taxi ride away. It is maintained as a Canadian monument and your family can see the war cemeteries and take a free tour of the ridge that was fought over so very bitterly. Also under the ridge: tunnelling was as important as trench warfare here. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/overseas/first-world-war/france/vimy
Posted by
OP
WV, USA
115 posts
Southam -Thank you for that link, it had all the info I needed. We will definitely be going to Vimy now. I know my boys will really appreciate walking in the trenches and tunnels. It looks like an amazing experience and a moving memorial.
Posted by
4518 posts
I'm just pointing out the Somme is almost exclusively a British Expeditionary Force (and German) battlefield. How will your boys feel about seeing only Commonwealth cemeteries and memorials? There are a couple little US things in the Somme area: a statue and small cemetery from 1918.
If you want to see American battlefields, including the largest US cemetery in France, you will have to look around Verdun east of Paris, or Belleau Wood not particularly far from CDG airport. Another advantage, from a boy perspective, is that the American battlefields were actually victories.
FYI: the American cemetery at Omaha Beach is only the third largest US cemetery in France; the largest is from WW1 and the second largest is from WW2, and both are in Lorraine (greater Verdun area).
https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/somme-american-cemetery
https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/belleau-wood
https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/meuse-argonne-american-cemetery
This old book has lots of info in it https://www.abmc.gov/sites/default/files/publications/AABEFINAL_Blue_Book.pdf
Posted by
San Francisco
14509 posts
Hi,
Totally agree with Wll's suggestions on the choice of WW1 memorials, one of which I've visited too...Beaumont-Hamel. On see the cemeteries of the BEF: as you drive along the road through the Somme where the dates of the battle are indicated, you also see along the road green and white signs pointing to British Commonwealth cemeteries which have a tall white cross. These poignant sites literally dot the area between Amiens and Arras. If you track these villages/towns en route, you'll come across them. My first visit to Amiens was in 1989 as a day trip from Paris Nord, saw first the centre ville, and wanted to see the "spot" where the Somme flows through the city. I didn't visit Arras until 1995 to see the war related sites mentioned above.
You probably won't have the time in the Arras area unless it is a priority. The big German WW1 cemetery is located near Vimy along with two more museums on the war. Both museums are a few mins apart by walking. The book by M Middlebrook serves as a good introduction to the topic. there are more recent comprehensive works since the 21st century, one I know is seen primarily from the German side, others from the British side, can't recall the exact titles.