{"id":212,"date":"2023-07-03T16:10:56","date_gmt":"2023-07-03T16:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bikeodyssey.cc\/the-allies-odyssey\/?p=212"},"modified":"2023-07-24T09:58:39","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T09:58:39","slug":"day-13-amiens-to-bapaume-3-july","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikeodyssey.cc\/the-allies-odyssey\/2023\/07\/03\/day-13-amiens-to-bapaume-3-july\/","title":{"rendered":"Allies Day 13 Amiens to Bapaume July 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s ride was 83 km with 770 m of climbing across the route from Amiens to Bapaume.<\/p>\n

How can I possibly do any justice in trying to describe what we saw today\u2026 Villers Bretonneux, Le Hamel, Sailly Laurette, Morlancourt, Dernancourt, Albert, La Boisselle, Lochnager Crater, Pozieres, The Windmill, High Wood, The Caterpillar Valley, Longueval, Delville Wood, Flers, Ligny-Thilloy, Bapaume. \u00a0I’ve read too much to ignore them, and some I\u2019ve taught in detail desperately trying to get my students to \u2018get it\u2019 to understand just how important they are to our national psyche and why we should remember.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been to some of these places by car before but it\u2019s completely different on a bike. You are slowed down, you feel the breeze, smell the scents, hear the sounds, your senses are heightened, and you taste the atmosphere. The tranquillity sharply contrasts with my knowledge of what happened here\u2026it\u2019s far too peaceful and genteel to be anything other than a quiet, rolling farming country until you see those names and note the abundance of cemeteries dotted about the landscape. Kenny picked some poppies and asked me to place them on some graves\u2026 he suggested I find the furthermost grave of an unknown soldier and place it there. I walked to the far corner of a graveyard of over 4000 headstones. I found one of the graves that said, \u2018A soldier of the Great War \u2026known only to God\u2019 \u00a0I placed the poppy down and I stood there, possibly the only person in the last 110 years besides the gardeners to spend any time at this grave. I found myself talking to them, wondering who they were, what was their life like, how did they die, and who did they leave behind? I told him a bit about myself but mostly I stood there in silence.<\/p>\n

I think I will just post the photos, but even if they can\u2019t explain it, if you are at all interested, you must come yourself\u2026<\/p>\n

Leaving Amiens<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n

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Villers Bretonneux and Hamel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The unknown soldier at the war memorial was exhumed from this grave at Adelaide cemetery, Villers Bretonneux<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Discussing the first tank on tank battle <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Villers Bretonneux memorial <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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John Monash Street <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Theresa and Peter in from of the town school<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Russell at Le Hamel the battle begin 105 years ago tonight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Le Hamel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Awesome, riding through the fields <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Poppies <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Explaining the Eminem platoon photo <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Thommo and Nicole <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Hamel from the Australian memorial <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Aussies at the Australian memorial, Le Hamel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The red Baron crashed in that field <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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the Aussie crew in front of the unknown soldier\u2019s grave<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Somme Battlefields<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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entering the Somme battlefields<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Albert Museum – in a tunnel under the town<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s about 250 m long <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Albert Cathedral rebuilt after the war<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Albert Cathedral <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Albert Cathedral <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Aussie digger, Albert <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Albert Cathedral <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Lochnagar crater, apparently they heard this one in London<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Kiwis at Pozieres Cemetery <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Welcome to Pozieres<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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at the Windmill, Pozieres they feel \u201cmore thickly on this ridge than any other battlefield of the war\u201d (23,000 casualties)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Mel approaching High Wood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Somme battlefields <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cemetery at High Wood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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High Wood monument<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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New Zealand\u2019s unknown soldier was exhumed from this grave at Caterpillar Valley Cemetery <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Caterpillar Valley Cemetery <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Kenny at Longuvel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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At the Kiwi memorial between Longuvel and Flers, High Wood and Delville Wood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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New Zealand National Monument near Flers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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AIF Cemetery just outside of Flers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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AIF Cemetery just outside of Flers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Visiting the grave of a family member. Lest we forget<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The quintessential cyclists tattoo ????<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Monument to the children killed in both wars at Bapaume <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Newfoundland monument at Beaumont Hamel. 85% casualties in one battle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n