In the First World War, on 24 April 1918, the small town of Villers-Bretonneux was the site of the world's first battle between two tank forces: three British Mark IVs against three German A7Vs. The Germans took the town, but that night and the next day it was recaptured by ANZAC troops at a cost of over twelve hundred Australian lives. The people of Villers-Bretonneux remain indebted to Australia for this feat.
The Australian War Memorial in France is located in Villers-Bretonneux and in front of it lie the graves of over 770 Australian soldiers, as well as those of other Commonwealth soldiers involved in the campaign.
Villers-Bretonneux is located to the south-west of the main 1916 battle areas, about15 miles south-west of Albert and ten miles east of Amiens.
To reach the Somme from Paris, the simplest and most practical routes are:
The Al, toll motorway entering from the "Porte de la Chapelle" from the north circular road ("Boulevard périphérique") around the City. Exit at Roye for direct access to Villers-Bretonneux or Amiens, or at Assevillers for access to Péronne, or at Bapaume to reach Pozières (follow the signs to Albert) or Bullecourt (follow the signs to Douai). Paris-RoyeAmiens = 150 km; Paris-Assevillers-Villers-Bretonneux = 140 km.
- Trains from the "Gare du Nord" to Amiens or Longueau (shuttles operate from Longueau to Amiens). There are a few daily trains from Amiens to Villers-Bretonneux.
Note: check timetables, they change seasonally.
Important: in the departure station, do not forge to validate your ticket by mean of the orange machine situated in the station itself or at the entrance of each platform.
- TGV from Roissy to Lille or Bruxelles, stop at "Haute Picardie Station" where buses will drive you to Amiens and where you will find taxis for any other place.
- In each railway station in Paris, there is an information kiosk (generally near by the railway embankments) where someone speaks English.
- You can hire a car in the chief cities of the department : Amiens, Albert, Péronne, etc... (ring the Somme Tourist Board)
Villers-Bretonneux Australian Memorial
The Australian Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux is reached by travelling north from the town of Villers-Bretonneux itself on the D23, crossing the main D1029 road and the Memorial is a little further on, on the right hand side of the road. The D23 is quite a fast road, and the turning into the parking area in front of the cemetery and memorial comes a little suddenly, so beware of other cars behind you.
After parking, the cemetery is reached first, with the Stone of Remembrance at the entrance. The cemetery is laid out so that there is a wide grassed central walkway with graves either side, and the memorial beyond is framed by the rows of trees that stand either side amongst the graves.
About half way down the cemetery the large Cross of Sacrifice is located, and continuing along leads to two flagpoles where the Australian Flag and the French tricolour flutter.
Across an expanse of lawn is the memorial itself, in the form of a tower with the rising sun set above the doorway, flanked with walls lined with panels where the names of the missing. The walls extend slightly out from the ends of the main wall, with small loggias at each end.
The memorial is to commemorate all the Australians who died in France and Belgium in the Great War; and especially those who died in France (apart from at Fromelles) and whose graves are not known. There are some 10,700 men named on the panels that stretch either side of the tower which is the central feature of the memorial. These are not all the Australians with no known grave: around 5,000 more are listed on the Menin Gate at Ypres, and another 1,300 at VC Corner at Fromelles.
