A site to look at on ANZAC Day

It's weird but I never knew the story of Villers-Bretonneux.

Google it you buggers

Apparently a turning point in WW1. The residents still teach their kids about Australia. And the flag still flies. The world is always weirder than you can imagine.

We were in VB and surrounding countryside in 2001.

That whole area, the Somme, and not too far away, Flanders, is really moving.

In the museum at the school, there's a big sign - something about never forget the Australians. Reduces everyone to tears.

The cemeteries stretch to the horizon. You're driving along and there's another one. We visited all the Australian sites, and some others in the area. Huge memorials, but the rows of graves to persons unknown are the most thought-provoking. Known unto god is the usual inscription.

We used the Commonwealth War Graves maps to plan that part of the trip.

I saw part of the Dawn Service at VB on tv on Friday.

Some VB pics (do you think the village's initials are why the Victorians helped out?)



The sign Margo was talking about:

The Australians and Canadians were both known by 1918 as "the shock troops of Empire," and when there was any dirty job to be done, they called on the Canajuns or the Aussies. The French have always shown their gratitude to both nations, which is a hell of a lot more than other nations have done. France has given land to both nations in perpetuity for their monuments to their fallen war dead, and have never complained about maintaining the monuments.

There's a Newfoundland monument and cemetery, not too far from VB, that is just amazing.

Apparently a whole group (platoon, battalion, something - I can't remember) of Newfoundlanders was wiped out in a very short period.

The memorial is a huge caribou - and again, the rows and rows of graves.

So many lives lost.

I just found about this village/battle the other day, too....I found it stunning that the people continue to be so committed to Australia!!!


I know that other places lovingly tend the graves of fallen Ozzies/NZ's/Canajuns/Brits/Americans too.


I find it very moving, too.

Don't forget us Kiwis.

One of my great grandfathers died of wounds received in France, 1918.

There is another town like VB, where the Kiwis are remembered to this day. I will look it up..

Le QUESNOY is the place.

Not trying to be 1 up or anything, but the story of VB reminded me of this one. Cheers

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/le-quesnoy/new-zealand-and-le-quesnoy

No wuckers TS. Kind makes you think about how some French feel about Muraroa and Rainbow Warrior....

I didnt know the Kiwis had their own units in WW1. I thought they were all just anzacs with us. So thanks Tiger.

My daughters English teacher at HS in Sweden didn't know Aust had troops in either of the world wars.

Technically, the Newfies weren't Canajuns at the time . . . they didn't join Canada until 1949--but it is typical that the troops of the dominions and colonies became the "shock troops of empire."

Canada had a population of 7,000,000 in 1914. Of those, 600,000 served in uniform (not inclusive of those who worked in civilian support capacities), and more than 60,000 were killed--the Canadians were literally decimated, which means every tenth man killed. Australia had a population of four and half million, and suffered nearly as many casualties as the Canadians. Both nations had somewhat more than 200,000 total casualties. They had the highest proportion of military deaths of any of the nations which participated in the war.

By the end of the war, neither England nor France could any longer rely on their troops for the really bloody operations--their units were badly bled down, and were still reeling from the hammer blows of the German offensive in the spring of 1918. When troops were needed in a hurry to plug a gap, or break through the German lines, they called up the Canadians or the Australians. In English divisions (and therefore, Dominion divisions) there were two brigades comprised of battalions of various regiments, the regiments being administrative units. In German and French units, divisions were comprised of three regiments, each of three battalions, all of which were organic units. When American divisions arrived, they were monsters. Each division was made up of two brigades (like the English system) and each brigade was made up of three regiments (like the French system), and a typical American division ran 20,000 men. Frequently, they faced entire German Corps which didn't add up to the strength of a single American division. No one expected much of the Americans (although the French were glad enough to see them), including the Germans, so when the Americans broke through in September 1918, it was pretty much all over for the Germans.

The Aussies and Canajuns both used the typical English system, but unlike other nations, they poured replacement troops into Europe, and had brought each battalion back to full strength before each operation. In some ways, that was good--experienced troops were there to show the new boys the ropes; in some ways it was bad, most of those killed in each defense or offensive operation were the replacements.

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Jesus, what an idjit. Did she think the diggers stood around wringing their hands saying "oh dear, what shall we do about those awful Japs?" Some people don't think about much outside their own narrow experience, i guess.

Setanta - most Americans (note MOST) probably don't have a clue, either!

Well, not necessarily. Most Americans who know anything about World War II (and that's quite a few) know about the diggers in North Africa, and they probably know that MacArthur went to Australia when he left the Philippines. They may not know about Percival the Rabbit in Singapore, and they may not know about the numbers of Australians who fought with MacArthur in New Guinea--but i suspect they do know that the Australians were in it up to their arm pits.

Breaker Morant and Gallipoli were both relatively successful films in the United States, so at least a certain number of them ought to know that Aussies fought in South Africa and the Great War.

By the way, the Canajuns also did their first big overseas deployment in the Boer War. The Northwest Mounted Police were sent out there, and one of the last official acts of Queen Victoria was to designate them the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and to give them the right to wear a scarlet coat. They were always known as "Mounties," but that was how they acquired the famous image that the RCMP have today (except in Canada, where everybody knows better).

About 1 mile from where I live is an empty field with a memorial plaque set in stone. Turns out it was the campsite that hosted most of the US Marines that went to Guadalcanal from NZ via Fiji in 1942.