We finally made it! A 3.30am start and a 20km free busride from Amiens took us to the Australian war memorial on the hill outside the village of Villers Britenneux, where in 1918 the Australians drove back the German push to the French coastline. Both our grandfathers did time here, and both of us lost a grand uncle... as did a surprising number of other people I know. (It's not that surprising that Grand uncles show up in statistics like this - a whole generation lost at least one family member in the first world war.) The service was very well done, and Foreign Affairs minister Steve Smith was impressive. Notably, as in most instances of civic religion, Jesus didn't rate a mention... and the lyrics of Amazing Grace were changed from the heavenly oriented "When we've been THERE ten thousand years bright shining as the sun" to the rather too optimistic "When we've been HERE ten thousand years..."
It was, though, a great event. My guess is that the crowd numbered three or four thousand. Sharing a predawn moment of silence with that many Aussies in a strange land was deeply moving. And cold.
Great photos and stories. I understand the excitement of having history studies come alive. Paul's Mum has also had a look with us at your travel log. Thanks for sharing. Jill and Paul Willis
ReplyDelete