The best traffic-free bike rides around Le Maisnil

The battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916 was a bloody initiation for Australian soldiers to warfare on the Western Front. Soldiers of the newly arrived 5th Australian Division, together with the British 61st Division, were ordered to attack strongly fortified German front line positions near the Aubers Ridge in French Flanders. The attack was intended as a feint to hold German reserves from moving south to the Somme where a large Allied offensive had begun on 1 July. The feint was a disastrous failure. Australian and British soldiers assaulted over open ground in broad daylight and under direct observation and heavy fire from the German lines. Over 5,500 Australians became casualties. Almost 2,000 of them were killed in action or died of wounds and some 400 were captured. This is believed to be the greatest loss by a single division in 24 hours during the entire First World War. Some consider Fromelles the most tragic event in Australia’s history. https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/fromelles

Aubers is best known for the Battle of Aubers Ridge during World War I. This battle took place on 9 May 1915 and was an attempt by British troops to break through the German lines. Unfortunately, the attack failed, resulting in heavy casualties without significant territorial gains. An interesting anecdote about the Battle of Aubers Ridge concerns the difficult conditions under which the soldiers fought. The attack began with an artillery barrage that did little to damage the German trenches, leaving the British soldiers exposed to heavy machine gun fire as they advanced. This resulted in a large number of casualties and is often cited as an example of the grim reality of trench warfare.

This British cemetery and memorial were built in memory of the Australian soldiers who died during the Battle of Fromelles on 19-20 July 1916. There are 410 Australian soldiers buried here, none of whom have been identified. Although the graves are individual, they are not marked with individual headstones, but the names of some 1,200 missing are recorded on the Memorial, a memorial wall at the rear of the cemetery. Two large concrete crosses have been placed on the grassed area. In front of the memorial wall is the Cross of Sacrifice.

Near the front line in 1916, a fierce battle was fought between the British (Australians) and the Germans. To commemorate 'la bataille' and the wounded who were brought back from the battlefield, a monument/statue was erected here.

An interesting anecdote concerns the excavations in 2009. During these excavations, the bodies of 250 British and Australian soldiers were discovered in mass graves. Thanks to DNA research, many of these soldiers could be identified, giving their families clarity about their fate. This research has helped to bring the stories of these soldiers back to life and to honor their memories.

Pheasant Wood Military Cemetery is the Commonwealth war cemetery in Fromelles, located next to the Musée de la Bataille de Fromelles. The cemetery was created in 2010 following the discovery of mass graves in the area. It contains the graves of 250 British and Australian soldiers who died during the Battle of Fromelles. Of these graves, 126 are unidentified.

The Musée de la Bataille de Fromelles is dedicated to the Battle of Fromelles of 19–20 July 1916, which pitted British and Australian troops against a Bavarian division. The museum offers a comprehensive exhibition on the battle, the 2009 archaeological excavations that unearthed the bodies of 250 soldiers, and the identification campaign that followed.

Attacking in a southerly direction, Capt Kennedy was shot while leading 'B' Company in the Battle of Aubers Ridge. He and his men had got well beyond the German line which ran roughly east-west where the preserved bunkers are today. His mother later wrote "He had crossed the road and was on the Fromelles side of it when he was shot by a sniper. His men tried to carry him back but he was terribly wounded and after they had carried him back across the road he told them to put him down..." Capt P A Kennedy, 2/Rifle Brigade Killed in action 9 May 1915. No known grave. Remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial.