Museums on the Somme Battlefields, France

The Ulster Tower is a Somme battlefield memorial to the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division. The tower is a replica of St. Helen's Tower at Clandeboye near Belfast, which was located in the centre of the 36th Division training camp. The memorial commemorates the heavy losses the 36th Division took on the 1^st July 1916 on the first day of the Somme offensive. Having faced a German stronghold at the Schwaben Redoubt (named Feste Schwaben by the German Army) they managed to advance their position about a mile almost to the German field gun positions, but had to fall back after counterattacks from the Germans. At the end of the day the 36th Division had suffered 5,000 casualties killed, wounded or missing.

A memorial room is located at the foot of the tower. A small museum is situated in the building near the tower. There is a small cafe and items for sale such as books and postcards.

The museum was established by the Franco-Australian Association and was opened on ANZAC Day, 25^th April 1975. It was refurbished in 1992.

It is located on the first floor of the Victoria School.

The village has very close ties with Australia following the battle fought to defend the village by British and Australian forces in the German spring offensive of March and early April 1918, called Operation Michael. The village was almost captured on 4^th April but the British and Australians held on to it. On 24^th April the Germans attacked the village again, with the objective of removing the Allied defence here at Villers-Bretonneux and marching westwards on to the important Allied railhead in the town of Amiens. A small force of the Australian 15th Brigade, 2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, plus numerous British stragglers who had left the village just ahead of the German attack, set up a defensive position and managed to hold off the German advance that day. The German advance was halted here and they never did get as far as Amiens in their final push to the west in 1918.

Victoria School was built between 1923-1927 as a gift from the children of the state of Victoria, Australia. The school hall, Victoria Hall, has wooden paneling and carvings of Australian animals and plants by the Australian sculptor John Grant and students from the Daylesford Technical College, Victoria. A sign in the hall makes the statement: “Never forget Australia”. A sign in the playground also says: “Do not forget Australia” and this is also written in French in each of the classrooms.

The museum housed inside the school tells the story of the Australians on the Western Front in 1918 and their part in the battles to defend Villers Bretonneux. The museum comprises:

• a small reception area with a ticket office and small souvenir shop
• a large exhibition room with photos, uniforms, letters and personal artefacts, copies of official documents and more
• a documentation area with books on Australia
• a 35 seat video room showing documentaries (by request) in English and French

Opening hours :

• (winter) November - February: 09.30 - 16.30
• (summer) March to October: 09.30 - 17.30

Guided tours for groups (15 + persons) by appointment.

Closed: Sundays and French Public Holidays (New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, 1^st May, 8^th May, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday, Whit Monday, 14^th July, 15^th August, 1^st November). Also annual closure of the museum is the last week of December and the first week of January.

Prices: Adult: Euros 4,00; Child (6-18 years): Euros 2,50; Adult Group (per person): Euros 3,00; Child Group (per person): Euros 2,00

9 Rue Victoria, 80800 VILLERS BRETONNEUX

Telephone or fax: +33 - (0)3 22 96 80 79

Web site: www.museeaustralien.com

Opened on 1st August 1992 this is an international museum of comparative history. All presentations are made in three languages - French, English and German — to show the experiences of the major participants in the First World War and the impact of this conflict on the 20th century. The museum displays show the visitor what life was like for the soldier in the front line trenches. The effect of the Great War on the civilian populations some of whom were forced to flee their homes is also an important part of the museum's exhibitions.

Historial de la Grande Guerre information page

This narrow guage railway museum has a collection of about 20 locomotives and 25 wagons together with information on the use of the railway during WW1. Tickets can also be purchased here to ride on the last remaining section of the large military narrow guage network built during WW1 in preparation to supply the trenches with ammunition in the Somme offensive of 1916.

Web site: appeva.club.fr

In tunnels 10 metres underground and 250 metres long this museum reconstructs realistic scenes from the lives of soldiers on the Somme battlefields.

The museum is in four languages (French, English, German and Dutch).

Rue Anicet Godin, 80300 ALBERT

Web site: www.somme-trench-museum.co.uk

Delville Wood museum is part of a complex at Delville Wood and is reached by walking through the Delville Wood memorial. The museum commemorates the sacrifice of 25,000 South African volunteers, who lost their lives in two world wars and in Korea. The museum was built as a replica of the five pointed star shaped Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town. Inside the castle contains five zones, one of which commemorates the South Africans in Delville Wood with a fresco called 'The Sixth Day'.

Web site: delvillewood.com

The Visitors' Centre is part of Newfoundland Park near Beaumont Hamel. The displays within the Centre focus on the historical and social situation of Newfoundland at the start of the 20^th century. It covers the history of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment from when it was formed in 1914 to the end of the First World War. There is a Memorial Room in the Centre with a copy of the Newfoundland Book of Remembrance. A number of personalities who served with the Regiment are portrayed along with other memorabilia and short video clips.

Newfoundland Park Memorial

The Visitor Centre provides a place for the thousands of visitors to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing where the memorial is put in the context of the battlefield. In three languages - English, French and German - display panels provide an overview of the course of the Great War from 1914-1918.

Thiepval Visitor Centre