Premier’s Visy Industries Australian Military History
Scholarship
Report of Visit to France, Belgium and
England
Matt Bennett
TAFE NSW – Riverina Institute
Sponsored by
PREMIER’S TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP REPORTS, PART 1/2
Executive Summary
This research focused upon the involvement of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in
the Western Front battles of 1916-1918. The aim was to more fully understand the role
played by the AIF and the impacts this had at the time especially in relation to local
communities within France and Belgium. An additional aim was to develop a greater
awareness of how the wartime experience shaped local communities in all the nations
which participated in the Great War and to incorporate this into curriculum planning for
the units related to Community Identity and Australian Studies.
It was exciting to visit the battlefields of Flanders and The Somme particularly following
the 2006 publication of Les Carlyon’s book, The Great War. The basic premise of this
work is that the 1915 experiences at Gallipoli were but an introduction to war for those
Australians involved. It was on the fields of France and Belgium that the realities of war
hit home. Three years of fierce fighting appeared to achieve very little despite the
collapse of German resistance in October 1918.
The thousands of Australian casualties forever changed the nation’s attitudes to war and
yet further established the ANZAC tradition as an essential element of this country’s
culture. Being able to witness the actual environments where these traditions emerged
and walk/talk with later generations of people from France and Belgium whose land was
scarred by these events has been a massive learning experience. It certainly does appear
to be the case that the Australian images of Gallipoli tend to overpower the significance
of the Western Front as the place where the AIF came to terms with the savagery of war,
the occasional frailty of command, the pointlessness of much of their effort, and the
sense of them making a mark as the warriors of a new nation. The members of the AIF
also saw first hand what war stirs in human beings, its impact on the environment and
the legacy it leaves. To travel to the sites of AIF action allows the visitor to contrast the
tranquility of today with the tragedy of yesterday and to contemplate what has been
gained. Sadly at times, it might seem that we have learned little yet in the stories of local
communities and in the memorials along the way, the power of those who believed they
were fighting for the triumph of good rings true.
Background
In my original proposal for this trip, I highlighted how I hoped to incorporate an
awareness of wartime community engagement into the delivery of programs through my
teaching in TAFE NSW units. This will still be a significant outcome from my visit and
in addition it will also have a flavour which invites students to consider the value of
seeing for themselves An appreciation of history is enhanced by a direct knowledge of
the ‘place of the action’. Clearly this does not mean that anyone interested in history
needs to have actually been to the location they are studying, but it certainly is an
advantage to immerse research into the landscape, to aim for an empathy that
incorporates a familiarity with the locale. (I am reminded of the 1981 novel Fly Away Peter
by David Malouf in which the central character relates to the certainties of nature and the
joy of knowing the land as opposed to the violence and uncertainty of war.)
Research Visit
One immediate observation in France was the alignment of Church and State in local
communities – each small village has a monument to ‘la Grande Guerre’, often located in
the local churchyard, reflecting the significant historical connection between churches
and their local communities.
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I travelled to the village of Hardecourt aux Bois which I used as a base for exploring the
Somme area. The Australian Embassy in France arranges a program of activities related
to the battlefields of northern France each year. For 2007, the commemoration has the
title ‘Les Rencontres Australiennes’, meaning ‘Share the Australian spirit’.
On Saturday 21 April, along with about 1 500 others I attended the Commemoration
ceremony at the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux hosted by Ms
Penelope Wensley, Australian Ambassador to France. She was accompanied by official
representatives from Australia, the mayors of Villers-Bretonneux and other local villages,
French Defence representatives and many local dignitaries. In March 1918 a major
offensive was launched by the German Army, reinforced by the arrival of troops from
the east. Villers-Bretonneux was a strategic town protecting Amiens and the rail link
direct to Paris. On 4 April the AIF successfully defended the town despite a massive
artillery barrage and a fierce German advance – by dawn the next day, the Australians
had lost 665 men but had saved the town.
Again on 24 April the Germans attacked the town and regained control of VillersBretonneux. Overnight the Australian 13th and 15th Brigades advanced in a pincer
movement and the German forces were surprised and caught out by such a sudden
response. By the evening of Anzac Day 25th April the AIF had recaptured the town albeit
at a cost of over 1300 men.
The Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux was unveiled by George VI in
July 1938. On its walls are engraved the names of 10 982 Australians who have no
known grave, while over 700 are buried in the Commonwealth Cemetery surrounding the
Memorial.
“There is no spot on all the tortured soil of France which is more associated with Australian
history and the triumph of Australian soldiers than Villers-Bretonneux.”
Sir John Monash
In the afternoon of 21 April, a similar ceremony was held in Bullecourt to mark the 90th
anniversary of the decisive battles in April/May 1917. Here soldiers of the AIF attacked
– and for a brief period – took control of part of the Hindenburg Line. With the loss of
3,000 men they were however forced to withdraw. In May 1917, a renewed attack saw
the AIF struggle for three weeks to re-take the village, finally succeeding on 20 May. This
attack cost over 7,000 Australian lives. In 1992, a Memorial Park was opened on the edge
of the village of Bullecourt with an imposing bronze statue of a digger and this was the
site of the commemoration ceremony.
These two ceremonies were bookends to a community lunch in the village of
Hendecourt. This is an annual event organised by l’Association Franco-Australienne and
its local representatives M. Claude and Mme Colette Durand OAM. This lunch reflected
the respect and regard with which Australia and Australians are held in the district – the
local hall is resplendent with Australian flags and the recurring theme (obvious in the
village school in Villers-Bretonneux) – ‘Never forget Australia’. As a history lesson, this
is a remarkable way in which a local community displays a passionate awareness of one
part of its previous history.
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The visit to Villers-Bretonneux also provided an opportunity to collect records of
soldiers from the Albury- Wodonga area recorded there; for example, Private Frederick
Winkless, whose remaining family live in Albury; he died in action on 14th June 1918.
Another local identity Lieutenant Albert Borella is recognised as a winner of the Victoria
Cross (VC) in the battle to defend Villers-Bretonneux.
I was able to spend valuable time at L’Historial de la Grande Guerre located in the 13th
century fortress in Peronne. This museum provides an excellent portrayal of life within
the 1914-1918 period for those living in The Somme, as well as an accurate record of the
war itself. The military representations here are intricate and exact in detail but the
significant learning for me related to the impact of ‘total war’ on the French civilians.
The lives of entire communities were devastated by the war, refugees flooded the roads
to the west once Peronne was captured by the Germans in August 1914 and the town
was only returned to something equating normality in 1919. As an Australian, this was a
moment to appreciate how fortunate our nation has been to largely escape the savagery
of war.
An interesting aspect of the L’Historial de la Grande Guerre is the proper
contextualisation of Australia’s role in the war – this country provided massive numbers
of soldiers to the Western Front; 324,000 served overseas with 61,700 being killed from a
population of less than 5 million, yet in comparison to other nations these numbers were
minimal. An interesting element of this contextualisation relates to the American
involvement in the War. The museum presented an exhibition entitled ‘America Awakes’
detailing the role of the USA from April 1917 onwards which clearly outlines the
economic gains for America prior to its direct involvement through the supply of
armaments to both sides, then its direct involvement from late 1917. America has at
times been portrayed as having a greater commitment to the War than reality indicates.
To the north of Bapaume lie the villages of Noreuil and Lagnicourt which were
important battlefields for a number of Albury soldiers. The Albury Battery fought here in
April 1917 and played a central role in the liberation of both villages as well as attacks on
the Hindenburg Line. The villages, in the style typical of rural France, are just a couple of
kilometres apart. In amongst the crops of canola, maize and potatoes, each village still
bears the scars of the war. Lagnicourt was the scene of fighting on 15 April 1917; it was
recaptured by German forces in March 1918 and retaken by the British in September
1918.The Lagnicourt Hedge Cemetery operated from June to November 1917 and
contains only one AIF grave but numerous German graves which is unusual for
Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC) cemeteries. The Noreuil Australian
Cemetery has 244 graves, mostly soldiers of the AIF from the 50th Battalion and stands
on the edge of the village adjoined by crops. There is a special memorial on the eastern
boundary to record the 82 graves which were destroyed by shellfire later in the war. As
with all the CWGC cemeteries, there is a sense of awe at these monuments in the midst
of new growth and life in what was once a violent scene.
Travelling south-east from Bapaume along the Roman road leads to Pozieres which is
also one of the most significant sites for the AIF. Here, at the place where about one
third of the Australian troops became casualties, there is a memorial to the 1st Division.
AIF losses from July to September 1916 were more than the total losses for the entire
Gallipoli campaign, yet this village is not as well recognized within Australia as perhaps it
might be. At the Gordon Dump Cemetery at Ovillers-La Boiselle lies the grave of John
Bartleson, son of Tom & Mabel of Englehardt Street Albury. He was a member of the 1st
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Brigade, Australian Field Artillery and died on 26th July 1916, three days after the AIF
had begun an attack on Pozieres.
To the west of Pozieres via the road past Moucquet Farm (‘Moo cow Farm’ to the AIF)
is Thiepval and there stands the imposing Franco-British monument to the 73 367
British and South African soldiers who fell between 1915 and 1918 and have no known
grave. A visit here at dawn or dusk without the tourists is a powerful experience – the
towering monument soars above the surrounding countryside as a reminder of the waste
of war. The area around Thiepval and Pozieres is a central element in my curriculum
materials in looking at the manner in which French communities have enshrined the
memories of war and to parallel this with the Australian experience. An interesting
addition to la Grande Guerre memorial in Pozieres is the inclusion of the names of
civilians from the village who were also killed during the war.
Nearby at Le Hamel is the Australian Memorial Park marking the battle in July 1918
under General John Monash where the 1st Division of the AIF, together with American
soldiers, achieved a remarkable victory over German forces. This battle denoted an
innovative strategy in the conduct of war using all the ‘new technology’ of the time –
aircraft, artillery and most importantly, tanks. The preserved trench systems here provide
a good idea of what this type of warfare entails.
In Paris, a central highlight was a visit to the Musee de Armee at the Hotel National des
Invalides. Apart from the tomb of Napoleon, the Museum houses the grave and
monument to General Ferdinand Foch the French military leader for the latter part of la
Grande Guerre. The museum exhibitions related to both the First and Second World
Wars and contain an extraordinary amount of material. One of the significant factors
obvious in these exhibitions is the extent to which ‘total war’ caused such disruption to
French society. In la Grande Guerre context, the attacks on French territory and in
particular the occasional shelling of Paris itself were important moments. The French
interpretation of the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 was interesting – it was clearly portrayed
as a monumental mistake by the English command, reflecting inept leadership and a
poor understanding of the situation. This view was in stark contrast to that taken by the
Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London.
As a learning tool, this instance of contrasting representation of a specific battle provides
good material for students to examine the influences on history and how it is interpreted
according to demands other than the facts. An additional factor at the French museum is
the emphasis given to the role of America in la Grande Guerre. As observed earlier, the
French may have some political gain in according a much broader idea of the USA
contribution than their actual participation deserves. In the same vein, the French, at
least in Paris, also take a more gentle line with the Germans, especially in regard to what
were seen as atrocities at the time. A rider is often added to references to such events,
that ‘similar events may have occurred to the German forces’.
A visit north to Ieper in Belgium to the ‘In Flanders Fields’ museum is one of the
highlights of this trip. The museum vividly portrays the impact of war on what had been
a successful cloth trading centre prior to 1914. Ypres (as it was known earlier) was under
attack for most of the war period but there were three specific battles fought through the
town between 1914 and 1917. It is therefore easier to understand the devastation
apparent in photographs of Ypres at the time and amazing to see the manner in which
the original walled city has been rebuilt. The interpretation of war here is subtly different
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to that in France – this was a country which actively tried to maintain a distance from the
war, yet was seen as the avenue for the German attack upon France. In both world wars,
Belgium has justifiably been depicted the ‘poor victim’. The displays at ‘In Flanders Field’
museum certainly illustrate why this was the case.
The Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate, on the ramparts of Ieper, is one of the most
moving events for anyone interested in la Grande Guerre. Every evening at 8.00pm
buglers sound the Last Post as the commencement of a brief ceremony that recalls the
victims of the war. Around the Gate itself are recorded the names of 54 000 British and
Dominion troops who were killed but their bodies have not been identified. Laying a
wreath here on behalf of TAFE NSW was a moment of great poignancy.
Also in the Flanders area, there are numerous reminders of the war. Visiting Messines,
Fleurbaix and Armentieres allows time to reflect on the extent of fighting and the
dramatic impact of such battles on national psyches. For Australians, the memorial at
Fromelles and VC Corner are of huge significance. It is difficult to visit these areas
without remembering that Les Carlyon describes the battle at Fromelles on 16th July 1916
as ‘one of the worst in Australian history, probably the worst in terms of the scale of the
tragedy and the speed of it, a mere 14 hours’. Australian casualties numbered 5 533 in an
attack that was supposed to be a feint to make the German forces think that another
attack was being mounted. It failed in this respect and caused the unnecessary massacre
of many troops. The leadership of the British commanders Major General James McCay
and Lt General Richard Haking is described as ‘careless, unreasonably optimistic and less
than honest afterwards’. The debacle that was Fromelles provided much to support an
argument that the British leadership exploited the AIF as “cannon fodder”, particularly
in the early stages of the war and thus generated a distrust of the motives of the English
command from that moment on.
VC Corner is the only solely Australian war cemetery in France and the VC is not related
to the Victoria Cross but simply takes its name from an intersection of two roads in
1916. There are 410 unidentified Australians buried here, none of their graves marked
with headstones. It appears that at the time, the dead were simply dumped into a mass
grave. At the moment emerging research suggests that there may be many more
members of the AIF buried nearby in a mass grave; the Australian Government is
investigating claims that this is the case.
A visit to Flanders also involves contrasting responses to two very different cemeteries.
At Langemarck, the Deutscher Soldaten Cemetery presents a dark, gloomy visage,
hemmed in by trees and the place where 44 000 soldiers are buried under black marble
headstones spread like paving stones. The Langemarck Cemetery includes a mass grave
containing 25 000 bodies. The new black marble Visitors Centre adds to the grim nature
of the place, as does the statue of four German soldiers erected at the rear of the plots.
As opposed to this at Broodseinde Ridge is the British cemetery Tyne Cot. As with
Langemarck, built amongst German pill boxes and bunkhouses, Tyne Cot occupies the
slope of a hill looking back towards the town of Ypres. 12 000 British graves – 8 366
with no names – look down into Polygon Wood. A newly opened interpretive centre
makes Tyne Cot a compulsory stop for thousands of English tourists.
In England it is possible to decipher another shift in the manner in which the Great War
is remembered. There appears to be a preponderance of public memorials especially
within central London and, as in Australia, each locale has its own monument in the
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form of a cairn or obelisk. However, the English focus is very much on ‘King and
Country’ and the notion of Empire. The European memorials tend to highlight the fight
for freedom and liberty but those in England have a more introspective flavour. The
Imperial War Museum in London tends, quite reasonably, to depict the war through
British eyes but there is also a concern for Britain and Empire, at times at the expense of
a broader consideration of the war. Some of the most significant sections of the IWM
include strong references to pacifist groups, conscientious objectors and many anti-war
sentiments. One of the most telling observations about war generally comes from Plato
in the 5th century BC: ‘Only the dead have seen the end of war’.
England itself suffered tremendous casualties during the Great War and the fact that
many employers and local peers encouraged their workforces to enlist en masse created
an unfortunate situation when these ‘pals’ groups were involved in battle. The high
casualty rates meant that local populations were often decimated – all at the one time.
Local memorials tend to prove this point with many soldiers showing the same date of
death; similarly, extended families received news of several casualties arising from one
military engagement.
A remarkable element in the minds of some English people is an apparent lack of
awareness that dominion troops played significant roles alongside the British forces. For
some, the image is of the AIF fighting at Gallipoli but having little further involvement.
This tends to support one of Carlyon’s major arguments that there needs to be,
particularly in Australia, a heightened awareness of the AIF role in battles throughout the
Western Front from 1916 to 1918. The image of Gallipoli from 1915 has overshadowed
much of the rest. Carlyon argues that Gallipoli was the ‘foundation’ of AIF efforts and as
a defeat, took on an aura that meant other important battles such as Fromelles,
Bullecourt, Pozieres, Villers-Bretennoux and Mont St Quentin ‘failed to lodge in the
nation’s consciousness’.
My aim is to attempt to draw a curriculum focus back onto these events and to promote
in students a better understanding of the role the AIF played in the war of 1914-1918.
There is much to be gained from such an understanding. Within my teaching particularly
in the Humanities units in the Certificate of General Education (CGVE) course in TAFE
NSW, I will incorporate discussions of the Western Front with my students. This will be
an important step in addressing a gap in our awareness of the period 1916-1918 as part
of the overall war.