World War I Memorials are scattered across northern France and are well known and much visited. So it comes as a surprise to learn that new sites and new memorials from World War I are still being discovered and built, nearly a century after 'the war to end all wars.' The history of World War I has not yet been definitively written and it is doubtful if it every will be. There is a real compulsion to understand and come to terms with World War I which has not receded with time. It comes from the feeling that we should never forget such a horrifying war but it's also very much due to both local and international research.
The main battles of World War I were around Ypres in Belgium and a tour of World War I battle sites often starts there. But there's plenty to see further south in France around the attractive towns in the area.The discovery of 250 bodies around Fromelles has led to a new cemetery; there's a new memorial currently being constructed to Wilfred Owen, the poet who captured the 'Pity of War', and one individual who refused to give up in his search for a World War I tank now displays the Mark IV weapon in a barn at Flesquière.
Day Trip or Overnight?
This mini-tour of three new World War I sites takes you from Lille south west to Fromelles, south to Flesquières and then east to Ors. You can easily do this in a day from Lille , Arras or Cambrai.
Alternatively, make this an overnight trip and stay at the Chateau de Ligny hotel in Ligny-en-Cambresis near Cambrai.
World War I History
World War I - Battle of Arras, 1917World War I - An Overview
