Louvre Museum Premium Guided Tour
Louvre Museum Premium Guided Tour
5,0 (7051)2h30Paris, France
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HistoricalCulture
WW1 Australians in the Somme - Villers Bretonneux, Le Hamel - Day trip from Paris
4.8(23 reviews)Paris, FranceRef. viator-142334P5
12h30DurationEnglish, FrenchOffered inMobile ticketTicketNot includedPickupEasyLevel
About this experience
This day trip from Paris takes you to the Somme in France’s Picardy region, where you will walk in the footsteps of Australian soldiers from WW1. The experience includes visiting the Australian Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux, where you can pay your respects at the wall of missing soldiers. You will also explore the Sir John Monash Centre and see the Lochnagar Crater, a significant landmine site. Additionally, the tour includes browsing through thousands of war artifacts displayed at the Historial of Peronne. The trip is suitable for history enthusiasts and those interested in military heritage. It does not cater to those looking for a leisurely or purely recreational experience.
Itinerary
1
Australian National Memorial
The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux is the main memorial to Australian military personnel killed on the Western Front during World War I. It is located on the Route Villiers-Bretonneux (D 23), in the Somme département, France. The memorial lists 10,773 names of soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force with no known grave who were killed between 1916, when Australian forces arrived in France and Belgium, and the end of the war. The location was chosen to commemorate the role played by Australian soldiers in the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux (24–27 April 1918). Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the memorial consists of a tower within the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, which also includes a Cross of Sacrifice. The tower is surrounded by walls and panels on which the names of the missing dead are listed. The main inscription is in both French and English, on either side of the entrance to the tower. The memorial and cemetery are maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
2
Lochnagar Crater
The Lochnagar mine south of the village of La Boisselle in the Somme département was an underground explosive charge, secretly planted by the British during the First World War, ready for 1 July 1916, the first day on the Somme. The mine was dug by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification known as Schwabenhöhe (Swabian Height). The British named the mine after Lochnagar Street, the British trench from which the gallery was driven. The charge at Lochnagar was one of 19 mines that were placed beneath the German lines on the British section of the Somme front, to assist the infantry advance at the start of the battle. The mine was sprung at 7:28 a.m. on 1 July 1916 and left a crater 98 ft (30 m) deep and 330 ft (100 m) wide, which was captured and held by British troops. The attack on either flank was defeated by German small-arms and artillery fire, except on the extreme right flank and just south of La Boisselle, north of the Lochnagar Crater. The crater has been preserved as a memorial and a religious service is held each 1 July.
3
Windmill Memorial
The Windmill site at Pozières was established as an Australian memorial in the 1930s at the suggestion of Australia's official war historian, Charles Bean, because, 'The Windmill site marks a ridge more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth'. Over seven weeks in 1916, at the Battle of the Somme, the Australian Imperial Force suffered 23 000 casualties, more than 6700 of whom died, in the countryside around the Windmill. On 11 November 1993 soil from the Windmill site was cast over the coffin of Australia's Unknown Soldier during his funeral at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
4
2nd Australian Division Memorial
Mont Saint-Quentin Australian war memorial, located in Mont Saint-Quentin region of Picardy, is an Australian First World War memorial. The Australian Second Division has a war memorial on the road from Bapaume to Péronne. It is the only one of the five Australian division memorials initiated by members of the division. The base was erected in 1925. It has bronze bas-reliefs by May Butler-George of men hauling and pushing a gun and of men advancing with bayoneted rifles and hand-grenades. It had on its top an Australian soldier thrusting his bayonet through a German eagle. The sculptor was Charles Web Gilbert. However, in 1940, German soldiers smashed the memorial. A replacement statue by Stanley Hammond of a thoughtful Australian soldier looking down was erected in 1971
5
Historial de la Grande Guerre
After lunch and to end that very moving day, you will get a free access to explore the «Great War Historial and museum" in Péronne. A 13th century medieval castle house the WW1 museum which display a a large exhibits of uniforms and weapons all worn, designed and used by the soldiers during the conflict. The historial of peronne museum also offers a permanent collection of Trench Artists such as « Otto Dix » who did testimony of the atrocities of the war with sketching some very graphic etchings.
What's included / not included
Admission to the Historial of the Great War in PéronneAir conditioned vehicleDriver Guide
Hotel pick-up and drop-offLunch
Additional information
Accessibility and comfort
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Traveller reviews
4.823 reviews
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