Monuments of the Somme Battlefields, France
There are many monuments and memorials in and around the Somme Battlefields. This page lists some of the more well known.
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Thiepval Memorial
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The Thiepval 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 WW1 in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave.
The Thiepval Memorial -
Sheffield Memorial Park
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The Memorial Park is in the location of the British Front Line for 1st July 1916. At the time there were four small woods in this sector. They were known on British Army maps from south to north as Matthew Copse, Mark Copse, Luke Copse and John Copse.
Sheffield Memorial Park -
Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont Hamel
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This memorial park commemorates the Royal Newfoundland Regiment which, along with several British battalions, attacked this area as part of the 1st of July 1916 Somme offensive and suffered appalling losses. The land was originally bought in 1921 by Newfoundland and officially opened by Earl Haig in 1925.
The park contains three British cemeteries, some memorials, preserved trench outlines and a visitor centre.
Newfoundland Memorial Park -
The Ulster Tower
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The Ulster Tower is a Somme battlefield memorial to the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division. The tower commemorates the heavy losses the 36th Division took on the 1st July 1916 as part of the Somme offensive. Having faced a German stronghold they managed to advance their position about a mile but had to fall back after heavy counterattacks. At the end of the day they suffered 5000 casualties.
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Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle
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Lochnagar Crater, is an impressive hole in the ground created at 07:28 on the 1st July 1916 after 24,500 Kg of ammonal explosive were detonated underground. This mine and Hawthorne Ridge mine were the largest of 16 mines exploded on the same day though most have been filled in or are innaccessible from the ground.
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South African Memorial, Delville Wood
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The Memorial remembers the heavy losses sustained by the South African Brigade of the 9th Scottish Division from July 14th to 20th 1916. Out of an initial size of over 3,000 men only 29 officers and 731 other ranks returned.
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38th (Welsh) Division Memorial, Mametz Wood
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This stunning Welsh dragon memorial marks the spot where the 38th (Welsh) division set off to attack Mametz Wood on the 7th July 1916 and suffered heavy losses. The wood was eventually cleared by the 14th of July but at a cost of over 4,000 casualties.