Pozières (; ) is a commune in the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

department in

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 Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street mar ...

and

Bapaume Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region of northern France. Geography Bapaume is a farming and light indus ...

, 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 The Battle of Pozières (23 July – 3 September 1916) took place in northern France around the village of Pozières, during the Battle of the Somme. The costly fighting ended with the British in possession of the plateau north and east of the ...

(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 The national flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a representation of the Southern C ...

flies over Pozières in recognition of the sacrifice of the

ANZAC The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was originally a First World War army corps of the British Empire under the command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the ...

s 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 George Sainton Kaye Butterworth, MC (12 July 18855 August 1916) was an English composer who was best known for the orchestral idyll '' The Banks of Green Willow'' and his song settings of A. E. Housman's poems from '' A Shropshire Lad''. He wa ...

, and in 2008 the road between the town and

Martinpuich Martinpuich is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France south of Arras. Population See also * Capture of Martinpuich *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 887 ...

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

Notes

References

External links

Pozieres in WWI
Communes of Somme (department) World War I sites in France {{WWI-stub