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The hill, the village itself and the now vanished château,
formed one of the two key positions on the German defensive
line in the northern sector of the British front. (The other
one was Hamel.) This veritable natural fortress was protected
at its base by the marshes of the River Ancre, and by numerous
very deep tunnels. It was known as "the Leipzig salient"
and on 1 July 1916 was one of the principal disaster points
of the British offensive on its left wing. The loss that day
of 58,000 men, of whom 20,000 were killed, was the greatest
tragedy in British military history, a tragedy henceforward
indissolubly associated with the name of Thiepval.
The battle for Thiepval began on 1 July 1916 and ended only
on 26 September.
| In 1932 the British government
decided to build the great Somme memorial. This
imposing monument, built of brick and stone, work of the
architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, 45 metres high and visible
for many miles around, commemorates the 72,085 British
and South African men who fell between July 1915 and March
1918 and who have no known grave. Their names are engraved
on the 16 pillars that form the base of the structure.
This great triumphal arch bears an inscription : "Aux
armées françaises et britanniques, l'Empire
britannique reconnaissant" (To the French and British
armies, from the grateful British Empire). |
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Practical
info
Thiepval is home to the most symbolic and most frequently
visited of all memorials to the Great War. Sir Frank Sanderson
and the Conseil Général de la Somme decided, with the help
of European funds, to improve facilities for visitors by building
a visitor centre near to the memorial. A national collection
was organized in Great Britain in order to raise the funds.
The centre offers a number of different services, including
an information desk, a shop, a projection room, vending machines,
and washrooms; but pride of place goes to a large exhibition
area which provides visitors with the necessary keys to understanding
the history of Thiepval during the First World War.
The building is a hall made of wood, glass and brick symbolically
sunk into the ground and accessible along a hollowed out pathway.
Opening times
Everyday, 10 am-6 pm from 1 May to 31 October, 9 am to 5 pm
in low season. Closed from mid-December to mid-January.
Admission free.
Franco-British Memorial - Visitor and Education
Centre
80300 THIEPVAL
Tel : +33 (0)3 22 74 60 47 - Fax : +33 (0)3 22 74 65 44
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