Albert - Villers-Bretonneaux - Amiens 🇫🇷 45km 🚴‍♀️

This morning I was at the door when the Museum of the Somme in Albert opened.

This incredible museum is housed in bunkers which are under the town and originally built in the 13th century.

The displays were excellent and you could easily spend 2-3hours reading about the efforts of the allied forces. Thousands of items of memorabilia from the first world war in the Western front, over 100years old. Talked with some other Aussies at the museum.

Then on my bike to ride over the hills to Villers-Bretonneux, the site of the exceptional Australian war memorial.

The site is free to enter and comprises graves of fallen soldiers whose bodies were recovered and then a huge monument where the 600 servicemen who were unable to be identified are honoured by name and an incredible interactive museum.

I was able to locate my Great Great Uncle Bert’s name (Ernest Albert Warren) who was a Captain in the 27th battalion. The staff helped me locate the name on the wall😊.

And then the name of Great Great uncle Gordon Dunlop (on mums side) who fought and was injured on the Western front 

Then the Sir John Monash National Memorial museum. This new museum is fully interactive with headset and sensors to start the next huge screen playing. It showcases beautiful timbers and copper and other Australian metals too. I added to my knowledge significantly today and love how they share tidbits of info to help understand. 

 

I found the Soldiers roster interesting. 4 days on the front, 4 days in support role, bringing ammunition and food and caring for horses etc, and then 8 days being billetted on French farms. Aussies were very popular because they were generally cheerful hard workers and many were farm lads. The French were off fighting and the woman, children and elderly left to manage the farms. The Aussies chopped the wood and used their skills to tend the farms 😊

Then riding back down the huge hill to the Somme river canal path for a 25km amble into the bustling city of Amiens. 

I have had tickets to the dawn service for about 6 months and was one of my wish list events for this trip. I have a 15 min walk to the shuttle bus stop and need to leave my accom just before 2am. It's forecast to be 1 degrees and the site is on top of a breezy hill (well it was today!). I will be wearing all the clothes that I have with me on my bike!

Early to bed for me.