Things to do in  Picardy

From its position on the Western Front, the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial commemorates the thousands of Newfoundland soldiers who died in World War I. Near the site of the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel—where more than 700 of the 800-man battalion were killed or wounded—it’s a powerful place of remembrance.

The largest Commonwealth memorial to the missing in the world, Thiepval commemorates the 72,195 missing or unidentified British and South African men who died in the Battles of the Somme between 1915 and 1918. This soaring memorial arch, among the most important World War I sites in the Somme, is a must-see for enthusiasts of WWI history.

The only remaining mine crater from World War I that is open to the public, the massive Lochnagar Crater was created by a British underground detonation at precisely 7:28am on July 1st, 1916—kicking off the now-infamous Battle of the Somme. Visit this immense hole to get a feel for the scale of the destruction during this bloody battle.

The site of some of the bloodiest fighting in World War I’s Somme Offensive, the small French village of Pozières is haunted by the tremendous loss of life experienced here in 1916 and 1918, particularly by Australian troops. Today, the village has been rebuilt and is home to a number of monuments and memorials, including the Pozières Memorial and British Cemetery.

For history buffs interested in World War I and Australia’s role in the conflict, Villers-Bretonneux is a must. Home to the Australian National Memorial and the Franco-Australian Museum, this town in France’s Somme is an important stop on the Australian Remembrance Trail of the Western Front.

In the heart of the Somme battlefields stands Château de Péronne, a historic castle that now houses the Museum of the Great War, or Historial de la Grande Guerre. Dedicated to World War I, this museum focuses on its history and effects, offering one of the most comprehensive overviews of this devastating conflict in the world.

The Battle of the Somme, fought over five months during 1916, was one of the bloodiest battles of World War I. The Somme 1916 Museum (Musée Somme 1916), set in medieval tunnels in the French town of Albert, includes a re-creation of the trenches and a first aid post, as well as photos, memorabilia, videos, and posed models.

One of the largest World War I cemeteries in the Somme, Delville Wood Cemetery is home to more than 5,000 graves of Commonwealth soldiers who died here in 1916. The vast and moving site is an important stop on Somme battlefields itineraries and includes marked and unmarked graves and a memorial designed by British architect Sir Herbert Baker.

Perched on the edge of Thiepval Wood by the Ancre River, the Ulster Tower sits along the frontlines of the notorious Battle of the Somme of World War I. Erected in 1921, it was the first official memorial built to commemorate the war, and is dedicated to the Irish soldiers who lost their lives on the Somme battlefields.