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Revision as of 05:24, 30 December 2009 by Carcharoth (talk | contribs) (create article for Villers–Bretonneux Australian National Memorial)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Villers-Bretonneux Australian National Memorial | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
_1.jpg) View of the memorial tower (left) and Cross of Sacrifice (right) | |
| For Australian Imperial Force | |
| Unveiled | 22 July 1938 |
| Location | 49°53′12.76″N 02°30′45.97″E / 49.8868778°N 2.5127694°E / 49.8868778; 2.5127694 |
| Designed by | Sir Edwin Lutyens |
| To the Glory of God and in memory of the Australian Imperial Force in France and Flanders 1916-1918 and of eleven thousand who fell in France and have no known grave | |
| Statistics source: Cemetery details. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. | |
The Villers-Bretonneux Australian National Memorial is a World War I memorial, located near the commune of Villers-Bretonneux, in the Somme departement of France. The memorial lists 10,773 names of soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force with no known grave who were killed between 1916, when Australian forces arrived in France and Belgium, and the end of the war. The location was chosen to commemorate the role played by Australian soldiers in the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. The memorial also serves as the Australian National Memorial to all the Australian dead of WWI.
Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the memorial consists of a tower within Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery. The tower is surrounded by walls and panels on which the names of the missing dead are listed. The main inscription is in both French and English, on either side of the entrance to the tower.
The memorial was unveiled on 22 July 1938 by King George VI, whose words were broadcast directly to Australia. Other dignitaries present included the French President Albert Lebrun, who also gave a speech, and the Australian deputy prime minister Earle Page. This memorial was the last of the great memorials to the missing to be built, and the Second World War broke out just over a year after its unveiling. It is now the site of an annual ANZAC memorial service.
During the unveiling ceremony, the King closed his speech with the words:
They rest in peace, while over them all Australia’s tower keeps watch and ward.
— King George VI, 22 July 1938
External links
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission details of the Villers–Bretonneux Memorial
- Villers–Bretonneux, Australian National Memorial - history and description of the memorial and pictures of the unveiling ceremony and of details of the memorial (Department of Veteran Affairs, Australia)