The sun shone on the little village of Fromelles, 10 miles west of Lille, just as it had done 94 years ago. But instead of the carnage of World War I, today all was peaceful as Prince Charles, the Australian governor general, Quentin Bryce and the French veterans' minister, Hubert Falco, opened the first new World War I Cemetery to be built in 50 years.
It was an emotionally charged occasion, as is anything to do with World War I. Fromelles was overwhelmed by the visitors who included several thousand relatives of the mainly Australian soldiers who had died at the ill-fated Battle of Fromelles on July 19th, 1916. 5,533 Australian and 1,547 British soldiers had been killed or went missing crossing the open fields, mowed down by machinegun fire from the German troops. It was classic, savage trench warfare.
The majority of the soldiers were found and buried in nearby cemeteries after the War. The remaining 250 bodies from the battle lay undiscovered in their mass grave until September 2009. Today the last of the 250 bodies was buried with full military honors, ending with the Last Post played on a bugle used in the original battle. The body was taken to the cemetery on a horse-drawn general service wagon restored after the war.
Prince Charles spoke of the "ultimate sacrifice"; the Duke of Kent said "They are lost no longer, and are here at last at peace." The Chief of the General Staff, General Sir David Richards, was diplomatic in his words: "The British and Australian soldiers who fought and died at the battle of Fromelles faced tremendous adversity. This splendid new cemetery is a moving tribute to them all, and will serve as a reminder of their sacrifice for generations to come."
It is a sensitive subject as the battle was a sideline to the Battle of the Somme and the Australian troops were newly arrived, raw and, it is believed by many, needlessly sent to fight the heavily fortified German positions.
So far, 96 of the bodies have been identified and the project will continue for four more years attempting to match bodies to DNA samples from today's descendants. Hopefully, the publicity surrounding the opening will have a big effect.
In an admirable footnote, earlier today the Duke of Kent dedicated a new Eurostar train - and named it Remembering Fromelles.
Read more about Fromelles.
Image: Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Cemetery ©Mary Anne Evans