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12.3.25 What is the village in northern France where the Australian presencein WW1 is still celebrated?




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This article is from the soc.culture.australian FAQ, by Stephen Wales with numerous contributions by others.

12.3.25 What is the village in northern France where the Australian presencein WW1 is still celebrated?

In a little town called Viller-Bretonneuve, just outside Amiens,
there's a memorial to Australian soldiers a couple of kilometres
outside town, signposted from the main road. There's also a cafe on
the main road called the Boomerang Cafe, which makes me feel it's the
right area. :-) [HJ]

I can confirm that Villers-Bretonneux appears to be the town that you
have in mind. A large Australian contingent was situated in or near
the town during WW1. There remains a number of overt signs of this
presence [MS]:
- some of the streets and shops bear Australian names
(e.g., Melbourne Street)
- there is a large Australian War Memorial just outside the town on a
rise. It contains a lookout and wall with the names of the Australian
soldiers lost (and, for the most part, never found) in the battles of
northern France and Flanders. On the wall, it is noted that 11,000
Australian soldiers died between 1916-1918, so this gives you an
indication of the size of the wall!
- At the entrance to Villers-Bretonneux, is situated Adelaide Cemetery
containing the graves of some of the Australian soldiers.
- In fact, the region contains a number of Australian and British
Commonwealth war cemeteries, all of them immaculately kept with cut
lawns and red roses!
- Villers-Bretonneux has an Australian "twin town" (Robinvale, Vic.
if I remember correctly).
- I spoke with the mayor, who showed me around the local school, which
was apparently built after WW1 with donations from Australia. The main
hall is panelled in Australian wood, and has a number of large wood
carvings of Australian animals. The mayor said he visits Australia
every year, to maintain the contact between the Villers-Bretonneux and
Australia.

In the cathedral of nearby Amiens, there is a commemorative plaque
that states: "...to the memory of The Australian Imperial Force who
valiantly participated in the victorious defense of Amiens from March
to August 1918 and gave their lives for the cause of justice, liberty
and humanity..."

 

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