*Pictures of the grave sights of the Battle of the Somme
Today we visited several sites related to World War I and the Battle of the Somme, which was an exceedingly brutal battle occurring in 1916. On the first day of the conflict, of the 120,000 British, French, Canadian, and Newfoundlander soldiers who went "over the top," 60,000 were wounded and 20,000 were killed. With this kind of horrific loss there were a great many dead to be buried, and the battlefield is now dotted with cemeteries for the soldiers from different nations
*Our guide explaining to us the burial procedures and costs of buying the farm land
Among the sites we saw was the Neuville -St. Vaast German War Cemetery. This cemetery was established by French military authorities between 1919 and 1923 as a resting place for German war casualties from the regions north and east of Arras, France. It is the largest German World War I site in France. The cemetery is now the resting place of 59,830 German soldiers, 19,000 of which are buried beneath shrubbery that lines the cemetery. This cemetery reminded me a great deal of the Arlington National Cemetery with the rows upon rows of headstones. However, beneath most of the crosses in the cemetery in France lie, not just one person, but four soldiers, with two on either side. This cemetery was opened to the public on November 13th, 1983.
Amazing how this cemetery holds so many people that dies from being in the war. It must of been very interesting learning the background history on this cemetery. Very cool experience!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great experience! My great grandfather fought in World War 1, so to see history such as this is an amazing thing. Its great to see that you all paid respects to the thousands of men that died in this war, and to make sure it is not forgotten. It is important to blog about sites such as this so people know about it, and to be sure to always visit it.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing that such a small area could hold so many people and beyond that so many stories that we will never be able to know. It is respectful that France continues to maintain it and people can come and pay their respects to those who were lost.
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