The Remembrance Trail
1. Péronne
Begin in the heart of the Somme, in the town of Péronne, under German occupation for most of World War I. Today its château houses the Historial de la Grande Guerre, a museum focusing on the war’s social context.
2. The Souvenir Français Chapel of Remembrance, Rancourt
The village of Rancourt has the sad privilege of being home to cemeteries of the three main countries at war: Germany, Britain and France. The Souvenir Français Chapel of Rancourt, built in dressed stone, was at first a private initiative, but has been managed by the Souvenir Français since 1937.
3. The south African Memorial, Longueval
Commemorating south African military history, this memorial and museum pays homage to the south African soldiers of the First World War, many of whom were killed in July 1916 during the terrible battle for Delville Wood, one of the battles of the Somme Campaign.
4. The Memorials and Cemeteries of Pozières
Pozières is located on a ridge and thus formed an important German position of defence in 1916. Several memorials, including the Pozières Memorial to the Missing, can be found in this village.
5. The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and Museum
The memorial commemorates more than 72,000 men of the British and south African forces who were posted missing in the Somme between July 1915 and March 1918. At the foot of the memorial, the Historial, Museum of the Great War has opened a second museum fully devoted to the battles of the Somme and to the memory of these lost soldiers.
6. The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park
At Beaumont-Hamel, the Newfoundland Memorial Park provides a moving and realistic vision of war through its preserved battlefield and trench system. Designed by landscape architect Rodolphe Cochius, the park of 30-hectares was inaugurated in 1925.
7. The Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle
This huge mine crater is 91 metres across and 21 metres deep. Belonging to Englishman Richard Dunning, Lochnagar Crater is the only mine crater still accessible to the public. It marks the beginning of the Battle of the Somme, at 7.28am on 1st July 1916.
8. The Somme 1916 Museum, Albert
As they walk through a 250 metre long and 10 metre wide tunnel, visitors are immersed in the history of the Battle of the Somme. The museum provides a moving and realistic vision of the men’s lives in the trenches of the Somme in 1916.
9. The Little Train of the Haute Somme, Froissy
This steam train travels between Froissy and Dompierre along a railway line that was constructed in 1916 for the Battle of the Somme.
10. The Franco-Australian Museum, Villers-Bretonneux
Created by the Franco-Australian Association of Villers-Bretonneux, this museum was inaugurated on 25 April 1975. It is located on the first floor of the Victoria School, which was built between 1923 and 1927 through donations collected by schoolchildren from Victoria, Australia.
