France 2015 - Day 4 - Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme and The Ulster Memorial Tower

Onto the Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

(CWGC Image)

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave.
Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. The memorial also serves as an Anglo-French Battle Memorial in recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equal numbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of the memorial.(cwgc.org)

The memorial was under renovation for the 100th anniversary in 2016, plus they were building an expansion to the visitors centre.

Jo inside the memorial. All the white stone panels are filled with names listed under the regiments in which the were serving when they died

Each the laurels signify a individual battle or engagement.

Another view of the inside. So many names.

When they find or identify someone they are buried in a known grave then the name is removed from the memorial.

No relation to me but so many Gibson's from one Regiment (the Northumberland Fusiliers) . You have to assume many of them are related. Where there were people with the same initial their service number is listed.



Cross of Sacrifice in the centre of the cemetery out the back of the memorial. On the left is the French Cemetery, on the right is the Commonwealth Cemetery

The Terrain from the memorial - not much of a hill



Poppy in a silver beat field on the outskirts of the memorial.



Out the back of the memorial there is a short road. We followed it around and came across the 18th (Eastern) Division memorial. This memorial commemorates their successful capture of Thiepval village on 26 September 1916.

Five minutes down the road is the Ulster Memorial Tower.

This is a Somme battlefield memorial to the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division. It commemorates the heavy losses suffered by 36th Division on 1st July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. There is a small museum and shop on site.

 

Trench Mortar

Other stuff in the museum