2nd Ahoghill Company Section visited several war memorials around the Somme area, including the iconic Ulster Tower commemorating the 36th Ulster Division.
We awoke to a cool mist which had descended on the campsite, and set about packing up camp. After loading our gear into the vans and programming the sat-navs, we set off to our first destination of the day.
Newfoundland Memorial Park
Located just south of Beaumont Hamel, this site contains the preserved trenches from which successful attacks eventually captured the village in 1916. It was named after the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, which had provided a battalion of 800 men to serve the British and Commonwealth Armies. The park acts as a memorial to all Newfoundlanders who fought in the war, but also contains several British memorials.
After quickly eating our breakfast in the carpark, we entered the park and headed to the visitor’s centre to learn about the battles which took place in the area. We moved outside to explore the various memorials dotted around the park. The first of which was a large stone dedicated to the men of 29th Division, many of whom died leading the attacks on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The next memorial to catch the eye was the bronze statue of a Caribou, the emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, majestically looking out over what was No Mans Land. This statue is one of five located along the Western Front, each of which marks a location Newfoundland soldiers were in action.
We walked along the preserved British trenches from July 1916 before joining back onto the main path, this led us past the November 1916 frontline from which the 51st Highland Division successfully attacked and recaptured Beaumont Hamel. The northern edge of the park contained several British cemeteries, and a memorial to the 51st Highland Division. The focal point of the memorial was a statue of the a Scottish soldier, looking east across the German trenches towards Beaumont Hamel.
With time marching on we had to leave the park, to ensure we arrived on time for our pre-booked tour at Ulster Tower.
Ulster Tower & Thiepval Woods
Ulster Tower stands as a memorial to the men of the 36th Ulster Division, who suffered great losses on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. It was officially opened in 1921, and is a copy of Helen’s Tower which is located in the Clandeboye Estate in County Down.
Before our tour began we entered the small memorial room inside the tower, the walls lined with a vast array of plaques and wreaths from various organisations back home in Northern Ireland. Before leaving we made sure to sign the Book of Remembrance.
Our tour guide for the day was Teddy Colligan, a retiree from Belfast who acts as custodian of Ulster Tower alongside his wife Phoebe. The tour began inside the grounds of the tower, with Teddy giving an overview of the various attacks which took place in relation to the current landscape.
We then made the short walk up the road, passing Connaught Cemetery on our way, to Thiepval Woods. This is the location from which the 36th Ulster Division initiated its famous attack on the German front line on the 1st July 1916. Teddy’s knowledge and passion of the subject were clear to see, and really brought our surroundings to life. Standing in the woods beside the reconstructed trenches, as he recounted stories from the battle was a truly moving experience.
When the tour was complete we walked back to Ulster Tower, and had a look at the small collection of recovered battlefield artefacts located in the visitors centre. After a few photos in front of the tower, we got back in the vans to drive to our next stop.
Lochnagar Crater
Situated less than a kilometre from the village of La Boisselle, the crater acts a permanent reminder of the destructive power available during World War 1. Lochnagar mine was the largest of nineteen which were detonated on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, leaving behind a crater 91m across and 21m deep.
Before entering the memorial site, we gave the boys their lunch. We had decided to simulate what Army rations might have been like, to give the boys an idea of what the soldiers would have been eating in the trenches. Each boy was handed a bag containing three unlabelled tins (corned beef, rice pudding and pineapple rings), three tea bags and three small packets of biscuits. We instructed the boys to use them wisely, as their rations would also have to cover their dinner later on in the evening. Some boys were more enthusiastic than others.
After eating what they could, the boys headed over to the crater for a look around. The path around the perimeter of the crater was lined with several memorial stones and benches, dedicated to the brave men and women who served in one way or another during the war.
Campsite De Gavers
After another lengthy drive across the French border, we arrived back in Belgium at our final campsite for the week. After unloading the vans and setting up the tents, the boys began preparing their evening meal with their left over rations. Just like in the trenches, the boys bartered and traded with each other to get something they liked. After dinner, Jonathan continued our series of Bible talks by looking at the subject of homosexuality. He explained what the Bible had to say on the matter, and aimed to help the boys understand that it is something God does not approve of despite it being widely accepted in society.
We spent the rest of the evening using some of the campsites facilities. A handful of the boys headed off to the park, while the rest of the group decided to watch the Wales v Portugal games. Unfortunately we weren’t able to watch our fellow home nation progress any further, bowing out to two second half goals by Ronaldo and Nani.
Disappointed we headed back to our tents to get ready for bed, and get some sleep ahead of our last full day at the campsite.
