Visiting The Battlefields of World War 1 With Kids- A Tour Of The Somme
The Memorial to the Missing in Thiepval, France, commemorating those that died in the Battle of the Somme in World War 1.
A Family Trip To Northern France and the Somme
Why The Somme?
The idea started when we found very cheap flights to London from the States. (Price is often how we decide on our vacation destinations, practically speaking.) Since it’s a short trip on the Eurostar from London to lots of places in Europe, we often fly into London if the price is right and then head elsewhere.
We decided on northern France and the Somme because it was a part of France none of us had spent much time in and we thought learning a bit of World War 1 history would be good for the kids. Lille is an easy 1.5 hour Eurostar journey from London and is a good starting place for touring many World War 1 sites, such as the Somme or Ypres.
Map of northern France and the location of the Somme
Researching Our Trip To The Somme Beforehand And Worries About Our Chosen Destination
Once we decided on France and the Somme as our destination, I immediately dived deep into my pre-trip research mode, checking out guidebooks and scoping out online travel blogs.
And I came up a little empty to my surprise. Not about World War 1 in general- there is a plethora of books, movies, blogs, and academic papers detailing the causes, effects, the soldiers, the weaponry, etc. of this pivotal moment in world history.
But as far as travel to the Somme? Crickets from Rick Steves and Fodors. A few paragraphs on Lonely Planet online (not in their France guidebook). And not that many helpful websites and travel blogs. I was starting to get worried- does no one go to the Somme or is it just not that great of a destination?
Not To Worry, The Somme Was A Great Vacation
After our trip, I can definitely tell you that this part of France was somewhere I could return to again and again and probably find something new each time. Despite some super iffy weather (hurricane force winds that the kids still talk about), the Somme was a fantastic place to explore. The kids were engrossed, happy, and left more knowledgeable about a war that is sometimes given cursory treatment in American schools.
The Somme was, in short, an awesome family vacation destination.
Finding A Personal Angle
We picked the Somme specifically out of WW1 battlefields because we had family that died here and we knew where their graves were located. That made the visit so much more interesting to the kids as we told them what we knew about their great-great-great uncles and their lives before we left on the trip.
I would definitely recommend looking up possible family members to anyone visiting the Somme as it gives the kids something tangible to look for among the almost ungraspable number of names and graves. Fields and fields of them scattered all over the countryside.
Great- great uncle’s grave in northern France. He is buried in one of the many small cemeteries dotting the countryside around the Somme River.
There are a number of websites that can help you locate graves, but the best is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission if your relative wasn’t American. They keep listings for the 1.7 million Commonwealth men and women who died in World War 1 and 2. Their database is searchable by as little as a last name and encompasses all the countries in the Commonwealth- U.K, Canada, Australia, India, etc.
The American Battle Monuments Commission does the same for all American soldiers buried overseas and their database is also searchable by as little as a last name.
Our Somme Itinerary- How To Visit The Somme With Children
The Remembrance Trail
Follow the Remembrance Trail- a 92km long driving route that incorporates the most important sites from the Battle of the Somme. Try to take at least two days to do it because while nothing is that far from anything else, you will want to spend more time than you think at each stop.
See the official Visit Somme website for an overview of the Remembrance Trail and their recommended Top 10 sites.
*Pro Tip- I recommend doing a little pre- trip scouting on Google Earth. Lots of these memorials are fairly small, many of the roads are narrow, and the signs are in French so it is nice to familiarize yourself with ahead of time for what you are looking for. Still, be prepared to do a little backtracking and circling occasionally to find the correct entrance to some of these stops.
Go to Ulster Tower (in Thiepval) first to inquire about the guided tour of the Thiepval Wood if you weren’t able to get in touch with them through their website before your trip (see the description below).
Map of the Remembrance Trail and the Somme
Our Favorite Sites on the Remembrance Trail
If you are short on time, you could easily hit these sites in one day if you start early.
Lochnagar and Hawthorn Craters
These are two remnants of incredibly large explosions set by British tunnelers underneath the German trenches. Lochnagar is better preserved of the two craters, with a boardwalk and sculptures around the edge, but you can walk down into Hawthorn Crater.
Lochnagar Crater is near Pozieres just off of the D929 and is more developed with a parking area and lots of informational signs.
Hawthorn Crater is less well known and is located just outside the village of Beaumont- Hamel. I recommend checking it out on Google Earth first so you can see where you park and what the small sign and stairs off the road look like that lead you to the crater. The parking area isn’t hard to see as it the cemetery for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and has a large Celtic cross.
Ulster Memorial Tower in Thiepval
Ulster Memorial Tower is a memorial to the Ulster Divison of Northern Ireland who eventually captured the German position where the tower was erected. It is a replica of an Ulster landmark and meant to be a symbol of one of the last sights of home the men buried here would have seen before sailing to France.
We received a guided tour of the Thiepval Wood which is across the street from the Ulster Memorial Tower and adjacent to the Connaught Cemetery where many of these men are buried. This is a must do if you can get the tour.
Our fantastic guide took us through the recreated trenches in the private woods owned by the Somme Association, bringing the soldier’s experiences to life with stories and mementos that fascinated the kids (and adults). He did not sugar- coat the facts but he had funny anecdotes to go along with the death and destruction that surrounded the Thiepval Woods during the Battle of the Somme, and he was such a wonderful storyteller.
The tour through the Thiepval Woods was hands- down the kids favorite part of the Somme. Contact the Visitor Center through the link on the website (scroll down below “Thiepval Wood”) to book a tour. Or go early in the day and inquire at the cafe about availability. The tour is free but they will ask for a donation towards the restoration and upkeep of the Thiepval Woods.
The cafe onsite has basic sandwiches (cheese, ham, or cheese plus ham for those who like to go fancy) for 3 euros as well as good coffee and other drinks. For the tea drinkers (or Brits) among you, they make a proper cuppa.
Click on the images below to enlarge
Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont- Hamel
The Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont- Hamel is a lovely memorial to the tragic history of the Newfoundlanders on July 1, 1916. You will want to spend some time here walking around the maze of trenches still visible and the pretty decent museum.
Walk to the far end of the grounds to find the statue of the piper commemorating the 51st Highland Division. He overlooks the Y Ravine, where ferocious fighting took place in November of 1916.
It is mind boggling how many soldiers died in the 74 acres that encompass this memorial in just a few months of 1916. The Canadians suffered something like 90% casualties. I found this for some reason to be one of the most somber places we visited even though all witnessed horrific tragedies.
You can see the remnants of the trench system at the Newfoundland Memorial. It is one of the only places in the area with the original trenches as most of the fields were returned to agricultural use after the war.
Memorial To The Missing in Thiepval
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing has more than 72,000 names inscribed on this massive arch, all Commonwelath soldiers whose bodies were never found or properly identified. You think all you see everywhere are cemeteries and gravestones as you drive around this area and this makes you realize that those are only some of the dead. You really need to see it to grasp just how many names are carved into its walls.
You’ll find a museum near the car park that has a free part and a paid section. We only saw the free part and it was well worth a walk around. The paid section apparently has a large mural of the Battle of the Somme, a vintage plane, and multimedia exhibits of what the war was like for the Germans in the trenches as well as the civilians in the area. We were running low on time and kids’ attention spans so we skipped it.
Somme 1916 Museum in Albert
In downtown Albert, the Somme 1916 Museum is entirely located in the tunnels underneath the town. It gives the kids an idea of the claustrophobic nature of trench and tunnel warfare and a pretty good history of the war.
The kids enjoyed the novelty of being underground and were surprisingly unaffected by the more graphic recreated scenes, such as the field hospital in all its gory detail. I guess it is a good thing that war is a distant idea to them but I hope that what they learn on this trip gives them some idea of what can happen.
Not on the Remembrance Trail but Super Close
The Wellington Tunnels (Carriere Wellington)
Located in Arras, the Wellington Tunnels (Carriere Wellington) were dug out by soldiers from New Zealand in order to launch a surprise attack on the German in April of 1917. 20,000 soldiers hid in these tunnels to pop up just meters from the German lines.
The tunnels are a massive piece of engineering and another kid favorite to visit. You have to wear hard hats for the tour so they were sold on it from the beginning.
Entrance to Carriere Wellington (the Wellington Tunnels).
For More Information
Check out the blog World War Battlefields which has a great introduction to the sites of the Somme, a map, and other recommended resources, plus a short YouTube video of the area.
Where We Stayed
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Arras
Arras is a pretty town about 20- 40 min from the majority of the sites along the Somme. It has a beautiful cathedral in one of its 2 large town squares and lots of good restaurants. Also, it has a TGV station with convenient trains to Paris and a Europcar rental place next to the station.
One of 2 town squares in Arras. In the summer, this square is packed with tables and people. In March, not so much. But still beautiful.
Holiday Inn Express Arras Located diagonally across from the train station, this hotel was a great find. We got 3 rooms on the top floor for our extended family group of 9 people (5 adults, 4 kids) and we had plenty of space. The rooms were very large with a double bed, sofa bed, large desk, and 2 chairs facing a TV.
The bar area downstairs had decent prices for wine and soft drinks so that, plus the free WiFi, made it a perfect spot to unwind after a day touring memorials and learning about WW1.
You can pay to park at the underground parking lot of the hotel (expensive) or park for free on the street on weekends. Even during the week, the street parking prices weren’t terrible. A large breakfast buffet is included.
Other Towns Around The Somme To Look For Lodging
Besides Arras, other nearby towns are Perrone and Albert, which anchor the two ends of the Remembrance Trail. Or you can look in Amiens if you want more of a city feel. Amiens is about 30-45 min away from the Remembrance Trail.
You’ll find lots of hotels in Amiens, a handful in Arras, and just a few in Albert and Perrone.
If you want a vacation house rental (or gite as it commonly referred to in France), look on booking.com, Airbnb, or VRBO in and around Albert and Perrone. There are lots of options, ranging from small apartments in town to converted outbuildings on one of the many farms in the area.
How To Get Around The Somme
We rented cars through Europcar for the week for the bargain price of $60 for 2 days, unlimited mileage. We picked up the rental car right in the Lille train station and were on our way to Arras by 2pm, stopping to see some sites along the way. We returned the car in Arras at the train station.
Driving in France was relatively easy but I would recommend paying for international data on your phone and using Google maps. The major sites of the Somme have pretty good signs but it can get confusing when you don’t see them or the signs are small. Like I said, some virtual driving on Google Earth before your trip will pay off handsomely.
Driving around the Somme is scenic, traffic-free, and I quite enjoyed it. And you won’t find tolls in these more rural areas, a rarity in France.
My Takeaway
I do believe that kids need to see battlefields, memorials, cemeteries, war museums, etc. first hand because it helps them understand the events in a way that adds so much depth to whatever they may read about it later in school or in life.
We were a little concerned before we left whether the trip might be too much for some of the kids but we were pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed it. Definitely the family connection helped, plus the fantastic tour guide from Ulster Tower really brought the history of World War 1 to life for them.
Arras was the perfect place to make our base for the trip and it was nice to leave the battlefields and memorials in the afternoon so we could relax at the hotel (the kids played on their electronic devices, the adults had a glass of wine, everyone was happy). Then we would walk to an amazing dinner in one of the many great restaurants in Arras. It turned out to be a great way to leave World War 1 behind for a bit and enjoy France in the now.
We would recommend this trip to anyone with any aged kids. You can go as in-depth as you want to in the museums or just walk around the memorials if you have toddlers. The Somme had plenty of history, outside activities, inside activities, convenient lodgings, and crowd free sites (at least in March) to enjoy. We would happily return to the Somme and this part of France again- there was still so much to be seen!