AC Travels
We got up at 2.15am! Took us a "few" minutes to get moving! We started waking to Villers-Bretoneaux shortly after 3am. Laurence accompanied us too, as she decided to go to the Dawn Service for the first time since moving to Hamelet eight years ago. Her son declined, saying sleep was more important!
As we were walking, a van pulled up next to us and an Australian voice asked if we'd like a lift, which we accepted. The couple were from Victoria and had been travelling in Europe for about six weeks. The bloke was in the army and unsurprisingly, "wasn't going to miss the opportunity to go to the service". We were able to get a bit closer to V-B before road closures meant we had to stop driving and start walking again.
Our walk to the memorial included a nice stretch uphill of about a kilometre and we arrived at about 3.50am. Just after we sat down, the rain started! It continued through the music that started at 4.30am (provided by the Voices of Biralee choir from Brisbane and the Royal Australian Navy Band and a female soloist from the Navy) and the service, which concluded at about 6.45am.
The service was patriotic and very respectful. It was as we had hoped it would be. The photos of Australians who'd died in the conflict were projected onto the walls of the memorial towards the end of the service. Many photos also depicted the conditions in the trenches. The silence was amazing. Laurence thought the ceremony very appropriate too and appreciated the balanced approach to including the French and other nations involved in the conflict during the service.
After the laying of wreaths, we took the opportunity to go closer to the memorial and look at the wreaths on the steps. Walking downhill on the way back was appreciated and we were ready for breakfast when we arrived back at about 8.20am.
Later in the afternoon, we went into V-B to find the Victoria School and have a look around the town. At the town memorial were lampposts with French and Australian flags attached, also banners on buildings and lots of Australian flags marking places welcoming Australians to the town. There is a pub called the Victoria Hotel!
We also returned to the Anzac Memorial to have a closer look at the site. Others were wandering around too, despite the drizzle. The view from the top of the memorial showed the surrounding flat fields very well, in all directions.
Now we have a different perspective on the Somme and the battles
Ann Watkins
17 chapters
Chapter 5 - The Dawn Service
April 25, 2015
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Hamelet & Villers- Bretoneux
We got up at 2.15am! Took us a "few" minutes to get moving! We started waking to Villers-Bretoneaux shortly after 3am. Laurence accompanied us too, as she decided to go to the Dawn Service for the first time since moving to Hamelet eight years ago. Her son declined, saying sleep was more important!
As we were walking, a van pulled up next to us and an Australian voice asked if we'd like a lift, which we accepted. The couple were from Victoria and had been travelling in Europe for about six weeks. The bloke was in the army and unsurprisingly, "wasn't going to miss the opportunity to go to the service". We were able to get a bit closer to V-B before road closures meant we had to stop driving and start walking again.
Our walk to the memorial included a nice stretch uphill of about a kilometre and we arrived at about 3.50am. Just after we sat down, the rain started! It continued through the music that started at 4.30am (provided by the Voices of Biralee choir from Brisbane and the Royal Australian Navy Band and a female soloist from the Navy) and the service, which concluded at about 6.45am.
The service was patriotic and very respectful. It was as we had hoped it would be. The photos of Australians who'd died in the conflict were projected onto the walls of the memorial towards the end of the service. Many photos also depicted the conditions in the trenches. The silence was amazing. Laurence thought the ceremony very appropriate too and appreciated the balanced approach to including the French and other nations involved in the conflict during the service.
After the laying of wreaths, we took the opportunity to go closer to the memorial and look at the wreaths on the steps. Walking downhill on the way back was appreciated and we were ready for breakfast when we arrived back at about 8.20am.
Later in the afternoon, we went into V-B to find the Victoria School and have a look around the town. At the town memorial were lampposts with French and Australian flags attached, also banners on buildings and lots of Australian flags marking places welcoming Australians to the town. There is a pub called the Victoria Hotel!
We also returned to the Anzac Memorial to have a closer look at the site. Others were wandering around too, despite the drizzle. The view from the top of the memorial showed the surrounding flat fields very well, in all directions.
Now we have a different perspective on the Somme and the battles
there. Knowing the terrain gives a new perspective to the history we'd learned.
1.
Chapter one - Paris
2.
Chapter 2- Paris
3.
Chapter 3 -Paris
4.
Chapter 4 - On the Road!
5.
Chapter 5 - The Dawn Service
6.
Chapter 6 -Amiens
7.
Chapter 7 -Some WW1 battlefields
8.
Chapter 8 - Reims
9.
Chapter 9 - The Vosges
10.
Chapter 10 - Vosges to Strasbourg
11.
Chapter 11 - Germany
12.
Chapter 12 - Still in Germany
13.
Chapter 13 - Germany (with a bit of Austria)
14.
Chapter 14 - Austria
15.
Chapter 15 - Switzerland
16.
Chapter 16 - Italy
17.
Chapter 17 - Back in France!
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