By Patricia Woeber
Every region in France has a rare story to relate, and the Picardy region tells a history of ferocious battles that took place for centuries. The most intense was the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916, during World War I (1914-18). I went there to tour the battlefields and memorials relating to this battle, and yet it's also a region of lovely sites and landscapes. It was named for the Somme River, which lies some 12.5 miles from Amiens and 105 miles north of Paris.
Next year is the centennial of the morning that witnessed the greatest loss of life in a battle as a generation of young British Empire men was slaughtered. In just four hours, the casualties were 20,000 dead and 40,000 wounded or missing. The troops included English, Irish, Welsh, Scots, Bermudans and Newfoundlanders. The French also lost thousands.
In the early morning the infantry battalions faced off along a 25-mile front. On command they climbed out of their trenches and advanced on the German trenches. The British troops carried rifles and marched straight into German machine-gun fire that mowed them down.
At the end of that day the road near the town of Thiepval was so full of corpses it was renamed "Bloody Road." In places the ground was solid with bodies. In the darkness soldiers walked on their comrades. Several badly wounded were trampled to death.
The soldiers had volunteered with patriotism and enthusiasm. Most were inexperienced, many were teenagers. Later combatants on the Somme and other battlegrounds in Picardy included a wider range of British Empire men, including Canadians, New Zealanders, Australians, South Africans and Indians.
The Somme was one of the most horrific battles in what was known as the Great War, and it saw the first use of machine guns, tanks, poison gas and trench warfare. In fact, the trenches stretched right across France from Switzerland to the English Channel at the North Sea. In modes of killing, modern history was made.
For four terrible months the Somme conflict continued. The numbers tell some of the story: Casualties numbered 420,000 British Empire, 200,000 French and 335,000 German.
Today, in remembrance of these men, is a circuit with cemeteries, monuments and battlefields. I hired a guide for a full day's tour. She chose our route and gave me significant details at each site. I felt a mixture of anger, horror and overwhelming sadness for the courage, determination, folly, pride and stupidity that led to these losses. I wept on and off.
British cemeteries in the Somme number 242. The impressive Thiepval Memorial lists the names of 72,195 missing men of the United Kingdom and South Africa. They either had no known grave or it was impossible to identify their bodies. At the Newfoundland Memorial, where the trenches are still preserved, a bronze caribou statue poignantly symbolizes the dead.
Another distressing fact about the Somme was that the French and British had only advanced seven miles, yet they had accomplished two imperatives: They tied down the German troops so that at Verdun in Lorraine the French achieved an important victory. In addition, they blocked the German advancement south so that Paris was never taken. Nevertheless, several historians consider the Somme to have been an unnecessary battle. During my trip peaceful respites came during the many hours I spent in historic properties and tranquil gardens, on the hiking and biking paths in the woods and boating on ponds. In Abbeville one of the loveliest places I visited was the exquisite Chateau de Bagatelle, originally built as a "pleasure palace" in the mid 1700s. The interior is decorated with exquisite hand-painted wall paneling and antiques dating from Louis XV and XVI. In 1944 the Germans machine-gunned and bombed the building until it was about to collapse, but the owners held the walls up with tree trunks. The chateau and gardens have been completely restored.
In contrast to the delicacy of Bagatelle, Chateau de Rambures, a 15th-century feudal fortress, boasts imposing massive towers. Amazingly, tiny red bricks had been used in constructing them. Fabulous antiques furnish the rooms.
Near Longpre, the magnificent Chateau de Long offers grand rooms furnished with antiques and a famous collection of gold antique clocks. The Nazis occupied the property in World War II, and their initials can still be seen scratched on the walls.
Saint-Valery, a small port where the Somme River joins the English Channel, retains its medieval ramparts, gates and towers. William the Conqueror was here in the 11th century. One evening I strolled on the coast and at sunset the sky looked ominously metallic, like steel — an apt aura for this region
WHEN YOU GO
Air France has daily flights from U.S. gateway cities: 800-237-2747, www.airfrance.us.
A tour of the Somme memorials of about 100 miles takes approximately a full day to drive. Renault Eurodrive offers the most economical auto rental if you're traveling in France and other European countries for three weeks or more. Their package includes a brand-new auto, tax-free, unlimited mileage and insurance. Reservations must be made a month in advance: www.renaultusa.com.
Picardy Tourism Board: www.picardietourisme.com/en/index.aspx
For more general information contact the French Government Tourist Office: www.rendezvousenfrance.com
Several tour companies provide excellent perspectives on the role of this area in World War I. Academic Arrangements Abroad offers "Remembering World War I: France and Belgium": www.arrangementsabroad.com.
Smithsonian Journeys culture tours include "Remembering the Great War": www.smithsonianjourneys.org.
Back Roads Touring (known for hiking and biking) lists "World War I Battlefields Weekend": www.backroadstouring.com.
Explorica has trips to the battle sites: www.explorica.com.
Military Historical Tours Inc. specializes in these trips: www.miltours.com.
Valor Tours will lead a tour of World War I in Verdun. www.valortours.com.
Tour operators offering customized tours include ACIS (www.acis.com), Adventures and Voyages (www.adventuresandvoyages.com), Celestial Voyagers (www.celestialvoyagers.com), Concept Tours (www.concept-tours.com), Enchanted France (www.enchanted-france.com), Europe Express (www.europeexpress.com) and France Journeys (www.francejourneys.com). International Seminar Design (www.isditravel.com) offers educational tours led by a historian or art professor. Latitude Travel & Tours (www.latitudes-travel.com), Stephen Ambrose Tours (www.stephenambrosetours.com) and Vantage Deluxe World Travel (www.vantagetravel.com) design excellent tours.
Patricia Woeber is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
View Comments