We left Ypres after the best brekky on tour and drove to Mesen (NZ Memorial) then onto Fromelles where we bumped into a couple from Albany (who knew brother Craig!!).
Jo Anderson & David Yendell from Albany who are travelling the globe since 2012!
This museum opened in 2014 and was built following the discovery of a mass grave of 250 bodies in 2010 (200 Australian).
The Battle of Fromelles (Pheasant Wood)
July 1916 - many men died assaulting the German lines, the battle which lasted only 14hrs resulted in 5,530 Aust casualties, 1,550 British & only 1000 German casualities.
It was an unmitigated military disaster!
Many of our soldiers lie in the VC Corner Australian Cemetery. This is the only fully Australian war cemetery in France.
This Cemetery is situated in what was known as " no man's land" between the German and Australian lines in July 1916. Next door to the VC Corner is where the "cobber" stands.
"Cobber"
Then onto Bullecourt where the "Digger" stands in the Australian Memorial Park gazing out onto enemy lines.
Pozier, an Australian Memorial.
Thiepval Memorial - British Memorial where there are 73,000 names of soldiers who went missing in action in the Somme region.
La Grande Mine - also known as Lochnagar Memorial, the crater (21m deep) where the Allies dug under the German lines and exploded a series of huge bombs.
This crater was huge but hard to capture on camera.
Arrived in Albert after a long but amazing day of seeing more of the Western Front. We stayed at
"Royal Piccadie Hotel".
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