Tag: Fromelles

We left Brussels and headed to Dunkirk, about a 2 hour drive. On the way we stopped to see the Atomium, pictured above. The Atomium is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, originally constructed as the center piece of the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. We didn’t go to it, the bus drove up to it so we could get pictures.

On the same day, we stopped at Dunkirk, Fromelles and Vimy Ridge.

Dunkirk is where Operation Dynamo saw over 330,000 Allied troops evacuated to Britain. After Germany invaded France, Allied troops were pushed back to the French port of Dunkirk. They were all evacuated and brought back to Britain to fight another day.

The Battle of Fromelles (19-20 July 1916) was a combined Australian and British operation and is described as the worst 24 hours in Australia’s military history. It was Australia’s first action on the Western Front in WWI, intended as a diversion from the Somme offensive. Tragically over 5,500 Australian casualties occurred in less than a day and there were no strategic gains.

As a side note, the people on our tour were mostly Canadians and Australians with just a couple of Americans so each spot we visited resonated with all of us regardless of our Nationality.

The monument at Vimy Ridge was spectacular. The Battle of Vimy Ridge was fought during WWI from 9 to 12 April 1917 on the Western Front in northern France by four divisions of the Canadian Corps capturing it from the German army. More than 10,600 Canadians were killed and wounded in the assault. This memorial honours the Canadians who were killed in France throughout the war who have no known graves.

It was an honour for us to visit these places that we had always read about/heard about. WWI and WWII were big parts of our history, hopefully we learn from these wars and other wars, but I sincerely doubt that we will.

Next stop …..Ypres a historical Belgian city in West Flanders.