The best traffic-free bike rides around Ervillers

Miraumont is a small village in the Somme department, in the Hauts-de-France region, which occupies a historically and geographically special place. It is situated in a narrow valley at the source of the Ancre River, a tributary of the Somme, and is surrounded by gently rolling hills that were once the scene of fierce fighting during the First World War. During the Battle of the Somme in 1916, Miraumont was close to the front line and was badly hit. Today it is a quiet rural commune of around 630 inhabitants, where the past is still palpable in the surroundings and in nearby military cemeteries. Its proximity to other historic sites such as Thiepval and Beaumont-Hamel makes it a worthwhile stop for those wishing to explore the region's wartime past.

On 11 April 1944, an Avro Lancaster Mk I, serial number LL836 BQ-E, crashed near Achiet-le-Petit, in the Bois de Logeast, during a mission by the RAF 550 Squadron. The aircraft had taken off from North Killingholme in England and was part of a bombing raid on the railway installations at Aulnoye-Aymeries, as part of the Allied Transportation Plan2. The Lancaster was intercepted and shot down at around 02:43 by a German night fighter, a Messerschmitt Bf 110, flown by Hauptmann Helmut Bergmann. The aircraft exploded in mid-air and came down in flames approximately 1.5 km north-northwest of Achiet-le-Petit3. All seven crew members were killed. Among them were five Britons and two Canadians, including: F/Lt Richard William Picton (pilot, age 24, DFC) F/O John Foster Potter (bomb aimer, age 23, RCAF) F/O John James Logan (navigator, age 26, DFC) Sgt William Essar (age 22, RCAF) Sgt Thomas Henry Guest (flight engineer) Sgt Kenneth Percy Charles Williams (radio operator, DFM) F/Lt William Hugh Waycott (air force, age 22, DFM)3 They are all buried in Achiet-le-Petit cemetery. The crash is a harrowing illustration of the risks faced by bombers during night operations over occupied Europe.

An interesting anecdote is that Achiet-le-Petit changed hands several times during the war. The village was occupied by British troops in March 1917, lost to the Germans in March 1918, and retaken by the British in September 1918. In 1924, 300 bodies that had been temporarily buried elsewhere were transferred to this cemetery.

Cimetière militaire allemand d'Achiet-le-Petit is a World War I military cemetery located in Achiet-le-Petit, France. The cemetery contains the graves of 1,314 German soldiers. It was created in the autumn of 1914 to bury the bodies of German soldiers who had fallen during the fighting in the region.

This small farming village has a rich history and is known for its two Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries from the First World War. The village has a church, a castle, and a range of amenities including bars, a supermarket, a chemist and a post office. Many residents commute to nearby towns such as Arras and Bapaume for work.

The 21st Division captured Héninel on 12 April 1917 and advanced eastwards on the two following days. The 33rd Division then took over the attack. These two divisions are largely represented in the cemetery. In April 1918 this ground was lost, and the eleven German graves in Plot I, Rows D and E, were made when the cemetery was in German hands. After the Armistice, graves were brought in from a wide area round Héninel. The cemetery now contains 307 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 104 of them unidentified. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Wancourt was captured on 12 April 1917 after very heavy fighting and the advance was continued on the following days. The cemetery, called at first Cojeul Valley Cemetery, or River Road Cemetery, was opened about ten days later; it was used until October 1918, but was in German hands from March 1918 until 26 August, when the Canadian Corps recaptured Wancourt. At the Armistice, the cemetery contained 410 graves, but was very greatly increased in the following years when graves were brought in from a number of small cemeteries and isolated positions on the battlefields south-east of Arras. The cemetery now contains 1936 burials and commemorations of the First World War. 829 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 76 casualties known or believed to be buried among them, and to 20 who were buried in Signal Trench Cemetery whose graves were destroyed in later battles.

Hibers Trench Cemetery, situated just north-west of Wancourt near Arras, was begun in April 1917 by the 50th (Northumbrian) Division shortly after the area was captured by British forces at the Battle of Arras. The cemetery contains 136 graves, six of which are unidentified, and also includes three Canadian graves added later in 1918. The simple design is by G.H. Goldsmith and reflects the understated dignity of this memorial. Its position on the Wancourt-Arras road makes it a silent witness to the fierce fighting that took place here, and the presence of personal inscriptions on some of the headstones emphasises the human story behind the numbers. A place of peace, remembrance and reflection.