Battle of the Somme WWI Battlefields and Cemetery in Amiens

After our brief halt at Arras we continued our road trip to Amiens. One unexpected scene we stumbled upon while entering Amiens was Somme WWI Battlefields and Cemetery. Initially we passed across a small one, it seemed different but we zoomed past.

Then we came across this big war grave. Rows of white grave stones, each with names, we halted for some time observing the place.

Road Trip from Arras to Amiens France

Road Trip from Arras to Amiens France

Battle of Somme Cemetery

Battle of Somme Cemetery

There was not a single soul around so we weren’t sure if we would be doing the right thing by entering the place. It is not fun or adventurous either to enter cemeteries.

The cemetery is situated in the beautiful region of Picardy and the Département de la Somme.

History of Battle of the Somme

Battle of the Somme was a battle of World War 1 between the years 1st July and 18th November 1916. It was fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. Battlefield was on either side of the River Somme in France. More than 3 million men fought in the battle and one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

The Battle of the Somme (Bataille de la Somme, Schlacht an der Somme), also known as the Somme Offensive.

Visit to Somme Battlefield Cemetery

Visit to Somme WWI Battlefields Cemetery

Battle of the Somme France

War Graves and Cemetery of Battle of the Somme France

The battle was fought by volunteer army – citizen army made up of civilian volunteers rather than professional soldiers; made up of friends, relatives and workmates from the same communities. It went on for 5 months. It was called the – Pals Battallions!

The first day of the war, 1st July 1916, saw the bloodiest of all. In the space of 30 minutes on the battle’s first day, 584 of the 720 members of the Accrington Pals were killed or wounded. The terrible losses sustained by these close-knit battalions at the Battle of the Somme devastated the populations of entire communities.

Though there was very little gain from the battle, it gave valuable experience for the later wars.

War Grave of Battle of Somme France

WWI battle of Somme France Cemetery

WWI battle of Somme France Cemetery

Interested in Cemetery Tourism?
Check my visit to: Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague Czech Republic

Today these battlefields of the Somme are the final resting place of many thousands of soldiers who served with the British, French and German Armies during the Great War. The battlefields scattered around have the graves for the identified and unidentified remains of those killed in action or who died of their wounds.

The land on which the British cemeteries and official memorials are situated was given by the French government. It was meant for those soldiers buried or named there to remain in perpetuity.

WWI Somme memorial france

Somme WWI Battlefields Cemetery Memorial

War memorial Somme Battlefield France

War memorial Somme Battlefield France

There are plenty of guided tours to visit these cemeteries, war memorials and museums, though we didn’t plan to take any we stumbled on this place by chance. Many people take up such tours and youngsters come looking for names of their relatives. One last look at the cross there and I prayed may they rest in peace!

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Battlefield and Cemetery Somme Amiens France

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