France 2015 - Day 3 - Villers-Bretonneux - Adelaide Cemetery

After a drive across the north of France, including a detour because some French farmers decided to block the motorway we arrived at Villers-Bretonneux.

Villers-Bretonneux became famous in 1918, when the German advance on Amiens ended in the capture of the village by their tanks and infantry on 23 April. On the following day, the 4th and 5th Australian Divisions, with units of the 8th and 18th Divisions, recaptured the whole of the village and on 8 August 1918, the 2nd and 5th Australian Divisions advanced from its eastern outskirts in the Battle of Amiens.

The plan as to visit the The Franco-Australian Museum  which tells the story of the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, particularly on the Western Front in 1918. But as it is situated on the first floor of the Victoria School and it was the school holidays it was closed.

So we headed out of town towards the Adelaide Cemetery.

Adelaide Cemetery was begun early in June 1918 and used by the 2nd and 3rd Australian Divisions. It continued in use until the Allies began their advance in mid August, by which time it contained 90 graves (the greater part of the present Plot I, Rows A to E).

  

After the Armistice a large number of graves were brought into the cemetery from small graveyards and isolated positions on the north, west and south of Villers-Bretonneux and they were, without exception, those of men who died in the months from March to September 1918.

There are now 960 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 266 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to four casualties known, or believed to be buried among them. 

From what I understand all Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemeteries have some common elements. All that have over 40 burials have a Cross of Sacrifice. 

And all have a memorial cairn



They all seem to have these little mini chapels (that's what I called them anyway)

On 2 November 1993, following a request by the government of Australia, an unknown Australian soldier killed in the First World War was exhumed from Plot III, Row M, Grave 13, and is now buried in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

This is a view looking towards the Australian Start line which was on the ridge line in the distance.

Not just soldiers, here's an 19 year old Air mechanic

A couple of arty HDR shots as the clouds rolled in

On this field (or hereabouts) Australian troops captured Mephisto, the A7V German tank that has recently gone on display in the Australian War Memorial.

  

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