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The Thiepval Memorial is to the Somme as the Menin Gate is to Ypres. It records the names of the men who died and were either never found or were not identifiable. There are a staggering 72, 092 men named here, along with the graves of three hundred British soldiers and three hundred French soldiers to signify the united nature of the battles. Many of the men are from the offensive of the 1st of July 1916, when after a massive initial bombardment, the men poured forth towards the German lines. Unfortunately for the attackers, the immense barrage was largely ineffectual and the carnage that ensued has gone down in infamy. We visited the memorial twice on our trip, the first time during the day when it was extremely busy with school parties, and a second time as the sun set when the place was deserted. Both visits were special in different ways. Once again it was heartening to see children visiting and remembering, and also the calmness of a sunset there was equally moving. The memorial has a visitor centre and a website which can be seen here. |
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