The Sir John Monash Centre, named after one of the most respected Australian generals of the First World War, was built on the site of the battle of Villers-Bretonneux (1918), a significant battle in which Australian soldiers played an important role. The Centre is located behind the Australian National Memorial and is adjacent the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, in which over 2,000 Commonwealth soldiers are buried. The Memorial, inaugurated in 1938, commemorates close to 11,000 Australian soldiers who died on the Western Front in France and have no known grave.

Upon arrival to the site, visitors are invited to connect to the SJMC Wi-Fi, download the SJMC App on their smartphones and connect their earphones. The App (available in French, English and German) acts as a ‘virtual and personal tour guide’ through the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, the Australian National Memorial and the Sir John Monash Centre.

This technology allows visitors to discover the stories of Australian soldiers buried in the cemetery or commemorated on the Memorial. The app also offers a 360° panorama from the Memorial’s tower to explore the Somme Valley and learn more about its history during the war.

Inside the Sir John Monash Centre, visitors are invited to follow the journey taken by Australians during the War - from Australia before the war, to the harsh introduction to the Somme in 1916, and finally to their finest achievements in 1918. It culminates with their return to Australia, a country irrevocably changed by the War despite its distance from the actual battlefield. Visitors learn about the Australians’ experiences in their own words through letters, diaries, life-size images and the use of new and archival footage, animation, maps and soundscapes.

At the centre of the experience is an immersive gallery, which takes visitors on an emotional and educational journey to the heart of the battles of Villers-Bretonneux and Le Hamel.

A visit to the Sir John Monash Centre provides an enhanced understanding of the Australian experience on the Western Front, and the impact and loss suffered by a young nation.

Commemorative service: Alongside British and French troops, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April. That fateful day marked the beginning of an eight-month campaign that claimed tens of thousands of lives, including over 8,000 Australians.

A year later, 25 April was officially named "Anzac Day" when Australia, New Zealand and troops in Egypt celebrated the anniversary of the landing.

In remembrance of those who served during the Great War and more recent wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations, Anzac Day ceremonies are held around the world each year. An Anzac Day Dawn service is held at the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux, near Amiens. It takes place on the site of an intense battle in 1918 where, from early April, Australian units helped defend Villers-Bretonneux during the German spring offensive.

Education program : To make the most of their visit to the Sir John Monash Centre, teachers are encouraged to book a hands-on activities workshop for their students. The Centre offers a wide range of activities for all ages as well as tailored hands-on activities to suit students’ interests and meet curriculum objectives.

As they uncover the true story of Valentine Rochfort through objects he would have been familiar with, students immerse themselves in the Australian experience of the Western Front.

For more information : https://sjmc.gov.au/education/experience/

Sources : Centre Sir John Monash - Crédits photos : ©SJMC

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In the hills above the town, a memorial to the sacrifice of the French and allied troops who fought in the two battles of the Marne was erected between 1921 and 1931 thanks to the backing of Madame de la Rochefoucauld, the Cardinal of Reims, the Bishop of Châlons, the military authorities and many donors. With the Douaumont ossuary, the basilica of Notre-Dame de Lorette and the Hartmannswillerkopf memorial, this was one of four national monuments erected by subscription after the Great War. The Gothic construction is based around two commemorative chapels illustrated by patriotic stained-glass windows. Outside is a “lantern of the dead” recalling the sacrifice and losses of many families. An ossuary contains the remains of nearly 1,500 soldiers, mostly unidentified. In 2014, the Ministry of Defence decided to provide the Dormans municipal council, owner of the site, with support for the restoration of the entire memorial.

At Bois du Loges there now stands a stele marking the execution site of Lieutenant Chapelant. He was the first officer to be executed as an example. Found injured, not far from French positions, he was brought before a military tribunal and found guilty of cowardice. As his leg injury prevented him from standing up, he was shot, tied to his stretcher, on 11th October.

From 31st August to 13th September 1914, Montdidier was briefly occupied. After the Battle of the Marne, this town remained under fire from German artillery. Due to the numerous bombardments, it suffered major destruction. In the spring of 1917, the front retreated forty kilometres. After the German withdrawal at the Hindenburg line, Montdidier seemed to be finally free. But in spring 1918, Montdidier was occupied once again until 10th August, the date when the town in ruins was finally liberated.

A plaque commemorates the singular destiny of Montdidier during the First World War after which it received the Legion of Honour.

From the Second World War, there are 24 airmen from the Commonwealth buried here (13 British, 10 Canadian and one Australian), who died in April 1942 and in May 1944. On the outskirts of the city, a monument was erected in memory of the 212 French airmen who died in the skies over Picardy in May-June 1940.

An area marked by the fighting of the Great War

From the first weeks of the war, the department of the Somme was the scene of violent clashes. From the fighting of autumn 1914 to that of 1918, the area remained fiercely disputed, being referred to many times in official communications. In August 1914, Amiens was occupied for a few days. In September 1914, each army made a last-ditch attempt to outflank their adversary to the north. This frantic dash saw clashes at Roye, Villiers-Bretonneux, Péronne and Albert. The war dragged on. In 1915, a small number of actions of limited impact were carried out. In 1916, the front line was shaken by one of the most iconic offensives of the war: the Battle of the Somme.

In late 1915, the Allies were planning to carry out a major offensive. But the fighting in Verdun thwarted their expectations. The operation, which mainly involved Commonwealth forces, went ahead nonetheless, to relieve the pressure from the enemy on the French forces. The situation behind the lines gradually transformed. Roads and railways were built. Men and munitions were transported to the many billets and depots.

On 1 July 1916, the first waves of British troops advanced. They were soon stopped by sustained German machine-gun fire. The enemy held firmly onto the ridge lines dominating the Ancre and Somme valleys. In a few hours, nearly 30 000 men were put out of action. Further south, the French took the Flaucourt plateau. But their offensive momentum deteriorated into useless, bloody attempts to wear down the enemy. The enemy positions were systematically bombarded, but no decisive breakthrough was achieved. On 18 November 1916, this offensive was called off. After four months, 650 000 Germans, 420 000 British and 195 000 French had been killed or wounded.

In the spring of 1918, the Germans took the initiative once again in this sector. Following violent actions against the British forces, the front was breached. In April, the enemy took Moisel, Ham, Péronne and Montdidier. Thanks to the resistance of Australian troops at Villiers-Bretonneux, Amiens remained in the hands of the British. In July, the German army was halted once more outside Paris. The Allies fought back, freeing up the entire front. On 8 August, the Canadians, Australians and French attacked between Albert and Roye, jostling the enemy. Persevering with their objective, by late August the Allies had entirely liberated the department of the Somme, which had been severely damaged.

Montdidier, a town with a unique fate in the First World War

From 31 August to 13 September 1914, Montdidier was briefly occupied. After the Battle of the Marne, the town remained under fire from German artillery. Given the extent of the shelling, the destruction was considerable. In spring 1917, the front was pushed back 25 miles. Following the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, Montdidier appeared to be free once and for all. But in spring 1918, the town was occupied again, until 10 August, when it was finally liberated, in ruins.

From 1949 to 1953, WWII victims were also buried in the cemetery. Maucourt National Cemetery preserves the memory of 24 French and six Commonwealth pilots (five British and one Canadian).

These Royal Air Force men were crew members of the Halifax B - MK.II - s/n HR784 HD. After bombing the Skoda armaments factory in Pilsen (Czechoslovakia), the aircraft was shot down on 17 April 1943, crashing in Maucourt. Of the seven crew members, only one managed to jump out with his parachute and was captured by the Germans.

The American poet Alan Seeger died during this assault. After growing up in Mexico, the former Harvard student moved to Paris where mobilisation took him by surprise. Sensitive and romantic, he  enlisted alongside fifty other American volunteers in the Foreign Legion. On 4 July 1916, the day of the US national holiday, the poet died after singing popular French songs throughout the night. Today, in all likelihood, his remains lie in the ossuary with many other volunteers who joined the Foreign Legion. The young writer’s grave was destroyed by subsequent bombings. He is the author of the poem “I have a rendezvous with death”, which he wrote on 1 July 1916. His body could not be identified with certainty. In 2006, a monument commemorating the writer and soldier was erected. It is a symbol of the military engagement of young people and Americans.

There is an imposing monument where Prince Louis Murat lies on the northeast edge of the village of Lihons. He was the great-great-nephew of Napoleon I and grandson of the Empire Marshall Joachim Murat. This young man of 19, a volunteer, was killed by the enemy on 21 August 1916. The imperial eagle atop the monument is now kept in Lihons town hall.

Furthermore, the Somme’s largest German cemetery, containing the bodies of 22,665 German soldiers, is located in Vermandovillers, and includes the grave of four pilots from Baron Manfred von Richthofen’s squadron.

The necropolis contains 7,033 bodies, including 5,362 in individual or collective graves. Four ossuaries contain the remains of 1,671 unknown soldiers. The cemetery also contains the remains of one German, one Russian, one Swede, one Belgian and many Foreign Legion volunteers of various origins (including Denmark, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Spain) who died during the Great War. There are also many colonial soldiers, infantrymen from Senegal and Algeria, cavalrymen and also troops from Indochina, who were heavily involved in the fighting on the Somme.

From the Second World War there is just one soldier, Olivier Kohn, who died on 9th June 1940 and rests in grave number 3815.

At the entrance to the cemetery is a monument paid for by the Italian community in the region, a symbol of Franco-Italian friendship that was inaugurated on 11th October 1923.