10 Reasons to Visit the Remembrance Circuit in the Somme

Explore the remembrance trail in the Hauts-de-France region and particularly in the Somme which witnessed a major and violent chapter of World War One.

In 1916, the Somme was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War. It witnessed one million victims (of all nationalities) out of the four million men mobilised. The land itself was left pockmarked by blastholes and trenches, and whole villages were razed to the ground.

More than a century on, the Remembrance Circuit links the symbolic cities of the Great War, Albert and Péronne, and helps visitors gain a greater understanding of this tragic chapter of our history. The remembrance sites have become more than a place of reflection and homage – they are a place for education in the hope that we can learn from the brutality of the past. On November 11, 2022, the Somme Battlefields for Peace movement was launched to help countries which today find themselves at the heart of terrible conflicts. Donations made at the sites of the Great War are collected and donated to Handicap International to help those in need. Here are 10 sites to visit on the Remembrance Circuit.

1. Somme Museum 1916 in Albert 

Located in the town of Albert, at the very heart of the battlefields, this museum is in a passage 10m below ground which stretches for 250m (it was used as an air raid shelter in WWII). Here, life for the soldiers in the trenches during the Battle of the Somme 1916 is recreated through sound effects, images and lights. 

2. The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

The memorial in Beaumont-Hamel commemorates those who lost their lives in the 29th Division, to which the 1st Newfoundland Regiment belonged. The 74-acre park is where the Newfoundland Regiment launched an ill-fated attack on July 1, 1916: in just 30 minutes, the regiment suffered devastating losses. Officially opened in 1925, the site includes a beautifully preserved trench system, memorials and cemeteries.  

3. The Franco-British Memorial and Site Museum at Thiepval

The Thiepval Memorial, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), is the largest Commonwealth military memorial in the world. The 45m-high monument bears the names of more than 72,000 British and South African soldiers who fell on the battlefields of the Somme between 1915 and 1918 and have no known grave. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and inaugurated on August 1, 1932. The site museum is dedicated to the battles of the Somme. 

4. The Tower of Ulster at Thiepval  

On the spot where the Ulster men fought and died, a memorial now stands. Also known as Belfast Tower or Helen’s Tower, it’s a copy of a tower in Clandeboye Park in Ireland, where the Ulster Division had trained. 

Erected in 1921 through a public subscription, this Gothic style tower commemorates the soldiers of the Ulster Battalions who fought here, in particular on July 1, 1916. 

5. The blast hole of Lochnagar Crater

The Lochnagar mine, just south of the village of La Boisselle, was an underground explosive charge planted by the British ahead of the assault on July 1, 1916. It was one of 19 mines exploded under the German lines on the Somme front moments before the infantry advanced at 7.28am. The Lochnagar Crater – 21m deep and 91m wide – survived the war and can be visited today. 

6. The South African Memorial and Museum in Longueval

Delville Wood is nicknamed Devil’s Wood. For five nights and six days, the soldiers fought against the enemy. Outnumbered and attacked on three sides, they managed, after bitter fighting – including hand-to-hand combat – to hold on to part of the wood. To this day, shell holes and the remains of trenches are visible. The dome of the memorial is topped by a bronze statue by Alfred Turner of Castor and Pollux leading a fighting horse and holding hands in friendship, representing the union of all the peoples of South Africa. The museum is housed in a replica of a fort in Cape Town and huge bronze plaques tell the story of the various conflicts in which South Africa took part. 

7. The Historial of the Great War in Péronne

This excellent museum dedicated to the 1914-18 war takes a comparative look at the experiences of French, German and British at and behind the front. While the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions shed light on the military events of the Great War, the Historial is also a museum of societies that tells the story of civilian life during wartime. From the moving multimedia devices to the unusual objects on display, the museum takes a global perspective, shedding light on the realities of war. 

8. The Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux

Designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, this imposing memorial was inaugurated in 1938. The names of 11,000 Australian soldiers, who died, went missing or have no known grave, are inscribed on the walls. The Sir John Monash Centre showcases Australia’s contribution to the fighting of the Great War through archive images and re-enactments on 400 screens to transcribe the daily life of soldiers at and behind the front. An immersive 360° room immerses visitors in the harsh reality of the fighting, complete with lighting effects, smoke bombs and a soundtrack. 

9. The Underground City of Naours  

The immense underground city of Naours is dug into the limestone of the Picardy plateau. At the end of the 16th century, these quarries became refuges, creating an underground city. Naours is home to about 3,000 pieces of graffiti made by soldiers in the First World War, including more than 700 attributed to Australians. This is the largest concentration of inscriptions on the Western Front. The Travelling Soldiers’ Interpretation Centre tells the story of the lives of the soldiers who came here, as well as the leisure activities of the soldiers behind the front.  

10. The Single Command Room in Doullens

The Single Command Room in Doullens played a crucial role at the end of the First World War. Held on March 26, 1918, the Doullens Conference brought together Presidents Poincaré and Clemenceau, Generals Pétain and Foch, Lord Milner and Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. Faced with a dramatic German advance which threatened to break through their lines, they decided to create a single command to better coordinate their armies’ operations on the Western Front. Their efforts paid off and on July 18, Foch launched his final counter-offensive, which led to the armistice of November 11.  A new addition is virtual reality headsets, which plunge visitors into the heart of this meeting which was so pivotal to the outcome of the war.

For more information, visit www.sommebattlefieldsforpeace.com