Hauts-de-France
Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...
in northern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
Geography
The commune is situated on the D929 road, northeast of
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
between Albert and Bapaume, on the Pozières ridge.
Southwest of the village on Departmental Road 929 is the Pozières Memorial and Pozieres British Cemetery. The cemetery. A total of 14,720 men, mostly Australians, are buried here. Unidentified dead number 1,380. The memorial was dedicated in August 1930.
Population
History
The village was completely destroyed in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
during what became the Battle of Pozières (23 July–7 August 1916), which was part of the
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...
. The village was subsequently rebuilt, and is now the site of several
war memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
s. The Australian flag flies over Pozières in recognition of the sacrifice of the ANZACs in the Battle of Pozières. Amongst the British and other Commonwealth forces who fought at Pozières, the Australians suffered over 5,000 killed, wounded or taken prisoner.
One of those killed, on 5 August, was the English composer George Butterworth, and in 2008 the road between the town and Martinpuich was renamed (George Butterworth Lane); ).
Gallery
Image:Gibraltar bunker Pozieres (AWM EZ0098).jpg, A fatigue party from the Australian 7th Brigade (Australian 2nd Division) pass the former German bunker known as "Gibraltar" at the western end of Pozières, 28 August 1916, during the Battle of the Somme. The infantry are laden with empty sandbags, heading towards the fighting around Mouquet Farm, north of Pozières.
File:Centre Way view to Mouquet Farm (AWM EZ0100).jpg, The view from Centre Way trench towards
Mouquet Farm
The Fighting for Mouquet Farm, also known as the Battle of Mouquet Farm was part of the Battle of the Somme 1916 and began during the Battle of Pozières (23 July – 3 September 1916). The fighting began on 23 July with attacks by the British ...
, August 1916
File:Map of German defensive fortifications from Thiepval to Courcelette, July 1916.png, Map showing Mouquet Farm and the German defensive fortifications from Thiepval to Courcelette, July 1916
File:Mouquet Farm aerial June 1916 IWM Q 27637 rotated North at top.jpg, Mouquet Farm and its defences, June 1916
File:Mouquet Farm aerial September 1916 IWM Q 27639 rotated North at top.jpg, Mouquet Farm and its defences, September 1916
See also
*
Communes of the Somme department
The following is a list of the 771 communes of the Somme department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):Pozières Memorial