Visiting the battlefields

The quickest route to the Somme is to cross from Dover to Calais (or Folkestone to Calais via the Shuttle). From Calais follow the sign A26 Arras and Paris. The Autoroute will be quiet. Continue to the junction of the A26/A1 continuing to follow the signs to Paris. As you join the Al the traffic will be heavier but the journey is only a short one to exit 16 for Bapaume. The distance from Calais is about 90 miles. From Bapaume take the D929 to Albert.

You should book your accommodation in advance. The growth in numbers of those visiting the battlefields has been reflected in an increase in available accommodation. An imbalance, though, still exists. Remember the area is rural and agricultural, the nearest large hotels are in Amiens or Arras.

If you have nowhere to stay call at the Office du Tourisme in Albert. This is opposite the Basilique (Cathedral). The staff at the Office du Tourisme speak English. I have included a selective list of accommodation as an appendix to this section to assist the reader to make an advance booking.

What you need to have in your luggage will depend on what time of year you decide to visit. Winter can be colder on the Somme and wetter too! Full waterproofs together with Wellingtons are essential. Warm clothing should include gloves and headwear. A day sack is also useful to put in your camera, small first aid kit, penknife, bottle opener, corkscrew and refreshments and books, maps and pens. Summer can still present wet conditions even though the average rainfall is less than in Britain. It can also be considerably hotter in summer and temperatures can soar above 30°C or more. Protection in the form of headwear and sun cream is essential. Always have available plenty to drink, not necessarily alcohol for that can be counterproductive in more ways than one.

Driving in the Somme should present few problems. The roads with a few exceptions are much quieter and in this area you are as likely to meet a British registered car as a French one. There are however some important differences to remember and the first and most important one is to remember to drive on the right. The most dangerous time is when first setting out after a halt. It is very easy to pull out on to the left of the carriageway with potentially disastrous results.

The cheapness and availability of alcohol together with the distance from home should not lure the visitor into believing it is all right to drink and drive. The alcohol limit is lower than at home in Britain (50 milligrams) and it is rigorously enforced by regular road blocks for mass on the spot testing and there is no escape!

It is also a legal requirement to carry a warning triangle and a set of replacement light bulbs. All documents should be carried too, this includes, insurance, driving licence and registration document. Your insurance should include a ‘Green Card’ for full European Cover, obtainable through your insurance company. Breakdown insurance is a matter for your own judgement. There are several garages in Albert who act as agents for most popular makes of cars and I know several instances of their services being well received.

The final point on motoring is to beware of the rule ‘Priority from the Right’. In all cases unless marked otherwise you must give way to the traffic approaching anywhere from the right. This includes traffic approaching you ostensibly from ahead but offset to the right. The sign to look for is a cross X which indicates priority from the right at the next junction.

As a member of the EEC Britain has a reciprocal arrangement with France and other European member countries for obtaining medical treatment. By obtaining forms E111 from any Post Office you will be able to take advantage of this but in the case of France this falls well short of what you expect at home. In the first place you may be asked for money ‘up front’. Treatment and any drugs must be paid for and then claimed back in the same way that a French national is required to do from the local social security office. Only a proportion of the costs will be refunded – between 60% and 80%. Medical treatment can be expensive and the claimant could still be presented with a substantial bill. It should also be remembered that such things as rearranged hotel and travel expenses or repatriation are not covered. No special inoculations are necessary but it is advisable to have tetanus injections. The Somme is a high risk area, because of its history, all agricultural workers are obliged to have injections. There are many agencies offering travel insurance – a few pounds for a few days would seem a reasonable risk investment. There are also now annual policies which are good value for money which offer an unlimited number of trips.

Always have your passport with you. The French have a national identity card and the Gendarmes and Police could ask you to provide proof of identity. The Somme region is a quiet and on the whole a trouble free area but crime does exist. Be careful not to leave valuables in your car. There have been instances of British cars being broken in to while the owners were away walking or visiting a distant cemetery.

Albert is the largest centre of population, most of the soldiers involved in the fighting on the Somme would be familiar with it. It was a garrison town just behind the British lines and was regularly shelled by German artillery. Its most famous landmark is the Madonna and Child on top of the Basilque which hung precariously over for most of the duration of the war. It was said at the time that when it fell the war would end. Many years later a veteran friend of mine, Alan Walmsley of the Duke of Wellingtons Regiment, was always sceptical about the legend of the Golden Virgin. With his dry northern sense of humour he said ‘That couldn’t be right, you know, ‘cos the bloody Royal Engineers wired it up!’. Today it stands above the town and shines out at night, a beacon which can be seen from many points across the surrounding countryside. The floodlighting was renewed in 1996 as part of the Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. It is Albert in which most visitors find most convenient to do their shopping and buy fuel. There is an interesting underground museum dedicated to the First World War. It is housed in tunnels used as shelters during the Second World War and the entrance is signposted near the west end of the Basilique.

Finally, the visitor to the Somme will almost certainly come across the debris of war. Although recently there have been renewed efforts to clear up live shells, hand grenades and mortar bombs as they come to light, there are still many of these potentially lethal objects about. It is as well to remember that the cemeteries we visit and memorials we look at represent tens of thousands killed by these explosives.

Alan Walmsley

The Golden Virgin in 1916 and (right) in 1996.

WHERE TO STAY

Listed Hotels in Albert

Listed Chambres d’Hotes (Bed & Breakfast)

Other Recommended Establishments

There are few facilities in the battlefield area itself for the tourist. However those looking for refreshment or somewhere to have a meal will find the following satisfactory:

Authuille

Auberge de la Valleé d’Ancre

A good quality restaurant at reasonable prices

6 Rue Moulin, 80300

Tel 0322751518

Ovillers

Le Poppy

A cheap but good ‘Les Routiers’ style restaurant

4 Route Bapaume, 80300

Tel 0322754545

Auchonvilliers

Avril Williams Guest House

A warm welcome assured, lunches, table licence, bed and breakfast

10 Rue Delattre, 80560

Tel (0033)322762366