Day Seven

Today I attended the Centenary service at Fromelles. This service was to commemorate the 100 years since the battle of Fromelles in 1916. On the 1st July 1916, the Germans began bringing in reinforcements from other fronts. Battalions from Lille we reported to be rallying for a push on The Somme. So the British devised a plan to attack them at Fromelles, in the hope that would persuade the Germans to keep there men there. This plan involved the 5th Australian Division and the 61st British Division. Both these Divisions were inexperienced as they had spent less than a month on The Somme. By the next morning over 2000 soldiers were dead. The attack was hastily planned and poorly executed, as the Germans were already well entrenched. But the attack went ahead anyway.
Today I witnessed the unveiling of six more brave young souls being recognised and finally identified for their efforts. They now rest in a beautiful part of the world and their descendants now have a place to come and remember them. Until today they were known unto God.
On our way back to Ypres today we visited Essex Farm Cemetery. This area was an Advanced Dressing Station during this war. It was located only 3km from the front and received the wounded and assessed their injuries. It was here that an American John McCrae penned the famous poem 'In Flanders Field'. McCrae was a Brigade Surgeon with the First Canadian Field Artillery. He was at the dressing station at Essex Farm on 3rd May 1915.
💡Things I learnt today.....
1. The Australian Veterans Affairs really know who to commemorate our fallen. Wonderful ceremony.
2. It is bloody hot over here!☀️
3. It is days like this that you are proud to be an Aussie!🇦🇺
4. You can quite easily skull 7 bottles of water in a few hours!
5. Portable toilets at large events in France are very bizzare. Outside urinals for women? Are the French for real!🚽 Czytaj więcej