Things to Do in Arras

Pozieres is a small village in rural France that was the setting of a two-week confrontation during the Battles of Somme of World War I. It is where, between March and April 1918, the German Fifth Army was driven further out into the fields of Somme by overwhelmingly large numbers of British corps that were on a mission to compromise the nearby German bastion of Thiepval. Although it technically involved the British Empire, Pozières is really an Australian battle - seeing as it involved over 23,000 corps and that the Australian flag flies over several buildings in recognition of the sacrifice of the ANZACs – even though the cemetery does not bare any Australian names; instead, Australian soldiers who fell in France and whose graves are not known are commemorated at the National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.

There are 2,758 Commonwealth servicemen buried or commemorated in the Pozières cemetery. As such, the memorial and cemetery comprise a stunning gateway building with open colonnade walkways, making way to the remains of a blockhouse named "Gibraltar" which was a three-meter-high blockhouse-observation point. It also contains the Tank Memorial, with four small-scale models of the tanks used by the British between 1916 and 1918 – the first army to use tanks.

Newfoundland Memorial Park opened in June 1925 as an homage to members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment that served alongside the British Army in World War 1. It is one of only two Canadian historical sites that exists outside of Canada (the other is in France, too). 

Visitors enter the memorial through the main gate and are immediately met by a large dedication stone with a bronze cast statue and an engraved quote by John Oxenham. The somber reminder sets the tone for what many describe as a truly unique experience. A large triangular stone reminiscent of the 29th Division’s badge recognizes the men who lost their lives at the hands of the Germans and five Caribou statues mark an important place in the battle or serve as a tribute to fallen soldiers. The memorial park is also home to three cemeteries: Hawthorn Ridge, Hunter’s and Y Ravine.