Arras and Fromelles - and Hitlers Bunker

We walked into the centre of Arras in the morning to check it out.

We found the large squares in the middle with decorative houses around and markets just getting going.

The buildings were mostly bombed during WW1 so were rebuilt in 1920.

We went into the town hall and found these giants there. We had seen something similar in the Venice biennale with the giants dancing around.

We had breakfast and then walked back to the aire - only 15 minutes so a good spot.

We then got going for our next stop - a launderette in La Basee on the way to Fromelles.

We got all our washing in one big machine and had a short walk around waiting for it. We found the Calais canal and Lazarides Bridge named after a French Tour de France winner.

This bridge was destroyed in both WW1 and WW2 so this one seems to be lasting longer.

The washing got done and then we went another 15 minutes up the road to the Museum of the Battle of Fromelle. It’s about the battle where over 5,000 Australians were lost in 1 day. It’s also about the finding of 250 bodies in a mass grave nearby in 2014. it goes into the archeology and DNA matching to work out who the soldiers were and to find any family. They then gave them a full burial with military honors in a new cemetery next to the museum called Pheasant Wood. The Germans had buried them sensitively and returned their dog tags to the other side so they could know they had died. This unfortunately meant there was little identification material to go on.

The museum was informative on the construction of the trenches that both sides lived in. The Germans were very comfortable in their solid wood trenches and concrete bunkers.

The allies were a bit more temporary but in some cases did have a downstairs area with a staircase inside a metal cylinder.

Soldiers belongings and clothes were displayed.

More information was provided on the soldiers who were found in the mass grave, including 2 brothers Eric and Sam Wilson from Port Macquarie who were beside each other in the mass grave - and now are beside each other in the new cemetery.

Eric Chinners parents from Petersburgh, South Australia left instructions for the inscription to be put on his grave if he was ever found - which he has now been. He is now in the new graveyard with the inscription.

On leaving there was a disabled group demonstrating how hard it is to get around in a wheelchair and also when you are blind. We had a go - me in the wheelchair and Glenn with a blindfold. The obstacle course was very hard - particularly getting up a step in a wheelchair. France is a bit behind with their support for the disabled. Parking on the pavement is normal and a big problem for wheelchairs.

Here is the friendly group.

We then checked out the new Pheasants Wood graveyard and we found the Wilson brothers next to each other.

We then went for the circular tour of the Fromelle Battle.

First was the Abbiette German Bunker that was 1,000 yards behind the German front line. It was a command point. Adolf Hitler was a messenger here and returned her in 1940 posing at this bunker.

Here is our version. Nearly exactly…

The bunker looks a bit different now in the middle of a cornfield. There appears to be a an unexplored shell embedded in it.

We then continued to the Australian Memorial Park with the statue of a soldier rescuing a wounded mate from no man’s land. Its on top of a ruined German bunker on the German frontline. Other bunkers are within eyesight.

The next stop was VC Corner, a totally Australian cemetery and memorial containing a few Victoria Cross recipients.

After that was Le Trou Aid Post Cemetery - a very beautiful cemetery with a small moat and willow trees. It had originally been beside a medical post hence the name.

We found some Scottish and Welsh gravestones - including a Beaton from the Black Watch.

We then parked Gus up at the Pheasants Wood Cemetery and went for a walk to find the place they had originally been buried. We found the wood but were confused as to where the burial ground was. A French group passed us and they said - ‘very long’ which made us think the walk was very long so we turned around as it was getting dark.

We found an Australian fan on the way back.

We had a quiet night with the rediscovered Australians beside us.