A VISIT TO THE SOMME
(In my grandfathers slipstream!)
1915 - 1999
It was only quite recently that I became aware of the exploits of my Grandfather, and his brother, over the Western front during the great war, mainly due to a book the 'Governor' (as he was know in the family) had written. Sadly, although I met him many times, he died before I really got to know about the book.
Partly perhaps because of my own army service, and partly because of the book, I developed a great interest in the First World War, and the Battle Of The Somme in particular.
The more I read, the more fascinating it all became, and eventually it was obvious that I would have to make a visit to the many places the Governor had stayed at and operated in.
It was also obvious that the Somme Battlefields generally were of immense interest and well worth a visit in any event. At last, and quite suddenly in June 1999, everything came together. I had the time, the money, a decent (but Germanic) car and most importantly of all, a good weather forecast.
I set off for France via the channel tunnel on Thursday 16th
June, meeting up with a friend who was channel hopping with his wife for the
weekly shopping! He would be able to show me the ropes as it were of using the
tunnel.
In any event the trip is easy, and after 20 minutes we were in France.
As I aimed to drive down to the Arras area, I quickly set off
and reached Arras at about 1730 hrs. However, the town did not look very
appealing, so I headed on down to the small town of Bapaume, where I stumbled
upon a rather nice small Hotel that charged only about £30 a night.
It even had
Sky on the TV!
As it turned out, Bapaume is the ideal spot for visiting the Somme battlefields, and indeed there was even a small cemetery within 100 yards of the Hotel.
The next day, Friday, I set off with the intention of finding
an airfield where I could hire a plane for some aerial photography.
I first drove along the main Bapaume/Albert road (D929) which I knew was very
much a part of the front line area. Indeed, I soon came across one of the many
British cemeteries in the area, right alongside the road at Warlencourt Eaucourt.
While talking to another British couple, they told me about
the famous Café Tommy in Pozieres which is a small café that the owner has
made into a sort of museum/shrine dedicated to
the allied soldiers who fought at the Somme.
I eventually arrived at the airfield at Amiens, and was able to arrange a flight at 1400 hours the following day when the weather would be even better.
This was great, as Amiens airfield was used by the Royal Flying Corps extensively during the Somme offensive; pilots coming from England would cross the channel at Dover, fly down the coast, and then use the Somme river to navigate up to Arras. ( I must do that trip one day!) I drove back to Bapaume via Peronne where I visited the interesting local 1st WW Museum
I set off in good time the following morning to visit a number
of battlefield sites and the massive Thiepval monument for those lost during the Somme
offensive whose remains were never found. The other key feature in this area is
Beaumont Hemel where the
trenches and many bomb craters have been preserved.
In
the summer months, Canadian students act as guides for this large well kept
site.
I also managed to make a quick visit to a small village called Bertangles just to the North of Amiens where my Grand Father was based for some time, and which included an interesting Chateau. However, his description of the village as being a quite miserable place was quite the opposite to the present affluent and tranquil place I found. The grand Chateau is still there, as it had been well away from the front line, where every building had been totally obliterated.
On arriving at Amiens airport it took sometime before the plane and pilot appeared, albeit from different directions!
The young pilot spoke very little English, and my French is less than basic, but by using an interpreter I was able to explain what I wanted to do, and how I did things, ie I like to position the plane, and then hand control over to the pilot.
We flew for about 90 minutes and managed to cover most of the
sites I had visited including Beaumont Hemel, Bapaume, Deville and High Woods
and Bertangles. I would have liked to have remained aloft for longer, but apart
from the clouds starting to come over, I was not absolutely sure how much the
flight would cost, and as I had to pay in cash, was a bit worried that I
could become a bit embarrassed when presented with the bill!
In the end, it cost me only about £100: very reasonable compared to UK
rates.
It is also possible to hire a plane from a small airstrip near Albert, near the
AeroSpecial works to the South of the town, but it did not have a window that
could be opened for photography.
The main photographic problem I had was that the countryside
now, particularly during the summer months, is a mass of rolling green fields
much like Sussex. As a result of this, most signs of the past are of course
completely lost. However, they are there, albeit difficult to find.
I did manage to locate one of the massive mine craters just outside
Pozieres that even after almost eighty years is still some twenty feet or so
deep. There are also numerous monuments and cemeteries, some large some
small, which from the air would be impossible for me to identify at a later
date.
On the last evening, I drove up to Deville and High woods, both of which are quite near to Bapaume, and watched the sun go down from the now most peaceful corner of High Wood, once one of the most dangerous places on earth for many months.
I managed to cover a lot of ground in two days, and with
hindsight would have done better to make the visit in perhaps September when the
fields would be bare. But in any event it was a most interesting and poignant
trip, and indeed now very easy by using the Chunnel, although from the South
West areas it could save several hundred miles driving if you use the cross
channel ferries from Portsmouth and drive up through France with the added
benefit of passing some of the Second World War battle fields.
THE VISIT FACTS AND FIGURES.
Using the Channel tunnel - A five day ticket costs from about
about £150 for a car and four persons, depending on the time of year.
The distance to Bapaum from the Tunnel is some 90 miles. Using the Autoroute
one has to pay
tolls, but using side roads is quite impractical unless you have all day to
spare.
Using the Cross Channel ferries from Portsmouth - A five day
ticket also costs from about £150
depending on the time of year.
The distance from le Havre is some 165 miles using main roads.
This route of course also passes some of the WW2 D Day sites.
I stayed at the Hotel Ls Paix in Bapaum which is a modest
establishment and cost
about £30 B&B. The restaurant is probably well over the top for most
battlefield
tourists, but there was a superb and much cheaper restaurant just down the road.
There are of course many other hotels particularly in Amiens and Peronne, which
are about
30 and 20 miles from Bapaum respectively.
Good research prior to a visit is of course vital, as is a good map.
I can recommend two books, firstly 'Battlefield guide to the Somme, by
Major and Mrs Holt,
and The Battle of the Somme, A Topographical History, by Gerald Gliddon.
I found the Michelin map of France 'Nord' ( 236) very useful as it marks most
monuments
and cemeteries, and distances are clearly marked.
It also covers the area up to Calais and other battlefields to the North of the
Somme area.