Remembrance tourism

1 July 1916 remains a date without equivalent in British memory: this was the bloodiest day in the entire history of the British army, with 20,000 killed and nearly 60,000 losses (killed, wounded, and missing).

In the collective memory, it represents both a test of British valour and one of the most extensive and useless tragedies. Each village name in the Somme is now mentally associated with a town or region in the United Kingdom which sent combatants there.

Cemeteries

A particular place must be reserved for a specific form of remembrance tourism, namely the visit of a cemetery to find a relative’s tomb. It is here that private and public spheres come together in the processes of mourning and commemoration. By the late 1920s, the cemeteries were visited more than the actual battlefields, while the construction of the cemeteries themselves was coming to an end. Today, the revival of interest – often among the generation of the grandchildren – for the Great War, which was long overshadowed by the Second World War, is creating an increase in the number of cemetery visitors.

Whatever the nationality of the cemetery, it reflects the soldiers’ conditions of life and death through its location, composition, typical or original inscriptions, or its history. They attest to their respective societies’ attempts, at the end of the war, to confront a mass bereavement whose consequences we have not yet fully grasped.

Longueval's british cemetery.

The 14 German, 19 French and 410 British cemeteries of the Somme may easily be distinguished:

The British cemeteries are quite numerous along the front because it was decided to bury the bodies as close as possible to the place where the soldiers were killed. There were few mass graves, as was the case for the French and the Germans. The headstones of the British soldiers are accompanied by the "Cross of sacrifice" when there are more than 40 tombs and the "Stone of Remembrance" when there are more than 1,000. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, created in 1917, runs all British cemeteries throughout the world: www.cwgc.org

Fricourt German military Cemetery.

Run by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge, the German cemeteries may be recognised by their black crosses, in cast iron or stone, often in the middle of a tree-lined park. The German War graves Agency, created in 1919, is responsible for inventorying, preserving and maintaining the tombs of German soldiers abroad. Through its website, the organisation makes it possible to locate a particular soldier’s tomb: www.volksbund.de/

Catholics and muslim graves in the French military Cemetery of Albert

The French cemeteries are distinguished by their white crosses and a flagpole flying the French flag. There is always an ossuary.The Ministry of Defence handles the upkeep of the French burial sites. The files of French soldiers declared "Morts pour la France" (killed in action) are available on: www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr

Organized tour for groups, information and booking: group@historial.org