The best traffic-free bike rides around La Bassée

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

The ruins of the old church of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire are an impressive and symbolic remnant of the First World War. This church, built in the 16th century in flamboyant Gothic style by Jacques Le Caron, was heavily damaged during the fighting in 1915. The ruins have been preserved as a monument to commemorate the horrors of war.

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.

A remarkable story about the ruins concerns the decision not to rebuild the church after the war. Although the church had been classified as a historical monument in 1908, the Commission for Historical Monuments decided that the ruins should remain as a testimony to the German destruction. Ironically, it was the French guns that had destroyed the church, but the ruins became a symbol of the war and the reconstruction.

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.

Anecdote: During the battle, Sergeant Simon Fraser heard a wounded soldier cry out, "Don't forget me, cobber!" Despite the danger, Fraser returned to the battlefield to save the man, an act of bravery that was later immortalized in the statue. This event emphasizes the sacrifice and strong bond between soldiers during the horrors of war.

The Cobbers Australian Memorial is located in the Australian Memorial Park near Fromelles. This memorial commemorates the Australian soldiers who died during the Battle of Fromelles on 19-20 July 1916. The statue, designed by Peter Corlett, shows Sergeant Simon Fraser carrying a wounded comrade out of no man's land. The name "Cobbers" comes from a letter Fraser wrote, describing the bravery and camaraderie of the soldiers.