The 10 Best Points of Interest & Landmarks in Somme, Hauts-de-France

The Australian National Memorial was inaugurated in 1938 to commemorate all Australian soldiers who fought in France and Belgium during the First World War. The names of over 10,000 Australian soldiers with no known grave are listed on its walls. The memorial is adjacent the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery and the Sir John Monash Centre.

The POZIERES MEMORIAL relates to the period of crisis in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back by overwhelming numbers across the former Somme battlefields, and the months that followed before the Advance to Victory, which began on 8 August 1918. The Memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and who died on the Somme from 21 March to 7 August 1918. The Corps and Regiments most largely represented are The Rifle Brigade with over 600 names, The Durham Light Infantry with approximately 600 names, the Machine Gun Corps with over 500, The Manchester Regiment with approximately 500 and The Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery with over 400 names. The memorial encloses POZIERES BRITISH CEMETERY, Plot II of which contains original burials of 1916, 1917 and 1918, carried out by fighting units and field ambulances. The remaining plots were made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the cemetery, the majority of them of soldiers who died in the Autumn of 1916 during the latter stages of the Battle of the Somme, but a few represent the fighting in August 1918. There are now 2,758 Commonwealth servicemen buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 1,380 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 23 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. There is also 1 German soldier buried here. The cemetery and memorial were designed by W.H. Cowlishaw, with sculpture by Laurence A. Turner. The memorial was unveiled by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien on 4 August 1930.

There are now 2,890 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. Only 12 of the burials are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 21 casualties whose graves in the cemetery could not be exactly located. The cemetery also contains 83 German graves.

Amiens Cathedral is one of the finest examples of late Gothic art in Europe. It is also the Cathedral of records since it is the largest in France and the spire rises to a height of 112.70 meters. The towers provide splendid views of the city and of the last medieval steeple still be seen on a Cathedral. Re-opening of the Cathedral Treasury. Cathedral designated world heritage site by UNESCO. Open: > April, May, June, September: Guided tour at 3 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. except Saturday and Sunday, Unaccompanied tour from 2.30 to 5.15 p.m. > July, August: Guided tour at 11 a.m., Unaccompanied tour from 2.30 p.m. to 5.15 p.m. > October to March: Guided tour at 3.45 p.m. Closed: > Tuesdays. > 1st January, 1st May and 25th December. > Last Sunday in September. Admission fees: Adults : 7,50 €; Concessions (18 to 25) = 4,50 €; Free admission: minors under 18*; Free admission: 18-25 years old* (citizens of one of the 27 countries of the EU or are non-European permanent residents of France) * excluding school groups

A well preserved mine crater from the first world war. A boardwalk allows you to walk around, information panels tell the story. Follow signs 'La grand mine' from La Boisselle. On road parking just before crater. Sat-navs may direct you down tracks, take care.