A council delegation took part in a four-day visit to France and Belgium this week to mark the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and commemorate those killed in action during one of the defining battles of the First World War.
The delegation included Aldermen Glenn Barr, Margaret Tinsley and Ian Burns; Councillors Joy Ferguson, Julie Flaherty, Robbie Alexander and Scott Armstrong. Together, they paid tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the soldiers who lost their lives during the Battle of the Somme.
During the visit, the delegation attended remembrance services and toured historical sites and landmarks across the region, including battlefields, museums, cemeteries and monuments dedicated to those who lost their lives.
Reflecting on the visit, members of the delegation commented:
“Getting to visit and experience these historic sites really brings home the scale of sacrifice made during the Battle of the Somme. It was an incredible privilege for us to pay our respects and remember those who gave their lives.”
On Tuesday 30 June, shortly after arriving in France, the delegation visited the Sir John Monash Centre, a state‑of‑the‑art museum and interpretative centre that tells the story of Australian soldiers who served and fought on the Western Front during the First World War.
The following day (Wednesday 1 July) – the 110th anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 – the group attended and laid wreaths at the Services of Remembrance at the Thiepval Memorial, the Ulster Tower and Guillemont, which commemorate the thousands of soldiers who lost their lives during the offensive.
On Thursday 2 July, the delegation visited Vimy Ridge – a significant site of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in the Battle of Arras – as well as Ancre Cemetery and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. They also toured the Somme Museum beneath the Basilica in Albert, which offered a powerful insight into the conditions faced by soldiers on the front lines, before attending the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium – a moving daily tribute to those who fell in the First World War and have no known grave.
The visit concluded on Friday 3 July with a visit to the historic town of Arras, an area closely associated with the wider Somme campaign and subsequent battles, before the delegation returned home later that day.
