The Sunshine of Your Smile

Sunday 5th May 2013

We wake to another fabulous morning. The sun is shining, the sky is clear and blue.

Our itinerary suggested a trip to Poperinge. This was one of the places my grandfather had mentioned as somewhere they went for a break or to be patched up. We decided, in the end, that it was probably best that we started our journey into France to make the most of the day.

Unable to park outside the hotel the night before, we left our trusty chariot in the square near the Cloth Hall.



Our initial destination would be a small village called Englebelmer. Here in an annexe to the village cemetery is a Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery containing the gravestone of my father’s uncle Jack.

More confident with driving now and with our destination punched into the SatNav (yes, one of the downloaded POIs) we set off.

The Road to Nowhere

At some point along the road we realised we were in France. We must have missed the unobtrusive sign that declared “Welcome to France”.  All the cars with French number plates were a big giveaway.

Soon we jumped on a motorway and, expertly guided by her ladyship, sailed effortlessly toward our destination only troubled when I embarrassed myself at the toll booth fumbling for change.

We had exited the motorway at Baupame and were now making our way across country, but it was not long before we pulled off the main road and turned onto the country lanes.

Driving through the countryside, not seeing a soul for miles, it certainly seemed like we had landed in the middle of nowhere.

Englebelmer

We believe my father’s uncle Jack died from his wounds in a medical facility in the area and his body was buried here at this small Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery.

My father had been before with his cousins some years ago, and as we pulled into the village he recognised the entrance to the cemetery.




Beyond the gates are the graves of the people from the village but an annexe houses the war graves.



Once again the place was impeccably well kept, stunningly so. The grass, the flowers, and the trees standing there like honour guards.

This visit was of course personal. I remember a photograph hung on the wall of my great aunt’s house of a solider in uniform. I remember being told that he had died in the war, but this was a long time ago. As we walk into the cemetery and up to the gravestone all these memories come flooding back connecting the past and present.



The day is beautiful, as is the countryside, and the only sounds we hear are the birds. It is very relaxing, and we stop for a few minutes to take in our surroundings and reflect on the moment.

Ocean Villas

It had been a good few hours since breakfast and we were feeling a bit peckish. Luckily the next item on the days itinerary was lunch at Ocean Villas. With practiced ease the destination was set.

Of course, the name of the village is Auchonvillers but was referred to by the British servicemen as Ocean Villas. Today it is home to a place run by a lady named Avril Williams where you can get a lovely cup of tea along with delicacies like ham, egg and chips. It would have been rude not to!



Our appetites sated we got back on the road to travel the few kilometres to Beaumont-Hamel, to what would be one of the most memorable places of our journey for me.

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

This is a memorial to the members of the Newfoundland Regiment killed during World War One.
The site is the preserved battlefield where the regiment was all but wiped out in one of the first battles of the Somme in 1916.

We park up and are greeted by one of the Canadian students who come over to work at the memorial. He tells us that all the guided tours are booked up but we can go on a self-guided tour. He then rushes off and returns with a comprehensive leaflet with a map and numbered points to follow, along with full descriptions.

We head off into the woods.



The tour directs us along the path through the trees and to our first sight of the trenches. They are now covered in grass but there is no mistaking what they are even though they are a little shallower now.

That path curves round and we are directed to the Caribou Memorial, a very impressive sight.




A walkway gently circles this memorial until you get to the top and can see out across much of the battlefield.

From here we head to the trenches.




Much of the site is enclosed with electric fencing but this stretch of the trenches has been opened as a walkway. You can see it snaking into the distance. The guide tells us that this trench would have been about two feet deeper.

We walk along and eventually rise back up to ground level where we join a path roughly bisecting the field. From here we get a view of many more trenches and what we assume are shell holes.



Walking along the path into a dip, and then rising up again, we see a cemetery, one of several on the site. A school party precedes us and we casually listen to the teacher explaining things. We are left on our own and I pay my respects before moving on to the next stop in our tour.

This memorial site has been largely preserved in its original state. Electric fences enclose much of the land.

The sign below gives a stark reminder of how well preserved the site may be.




The Germans were positioned in this ravine. This afforded them a lot of cover and protection.




We pass more monuments and another cemetery, each one looked after with the care and attention that we have come to expect for these memorials.




Finally we walk back through the avenue of trees, planted as part of the memorial.




One last tour of the trenches before finishing up back at the Caribou Memorial. The crowds had gone so I went up one more time to take a last look over the site.



The visitor centre was our final destination. Small but very good. It tells the story of the people from Newfoundland and their experience fighting during the First World War. The final piece that makes the visit complete.

A few pictures and some words really do not do this memorial justice; we spent nearly two hours walking around the site.

This memorial provided a clear picture to me. It told a story, leaving nothing to the imagination. That is the real battlefield, those are the real trenches, and those are the real gravestones.

It does not so much make you not forget, it encourages you to remember.


We walk back to the car and head off to the site that we have been seeing in the distance since we turned off the main road earlier in the day – The Thiepval Memorial.

To be continued…