Australian flags fly high throughout the small town of Villers Bretonneux, where the Australians drove out the Germans in April 1918. The names of Walter Dalziell and Ernest Dalziell (two of my father’s uncles) are inscribed on the Australian National Memorial, two of the thousands of Australians who lie in unmarked graves.
Adjacent to the Australian National Memorial is the excellent Sir John Monash Centre, opened in April 1918, with a grass ‘foreign field’ as a roof. John Monash was born in Melbourne to Polish-Jewish parents. He studied civil engineering and arts and was one of the administrators behind the success of the battle for Villers Bretonneux. A soldier, historian and accomplished pianist, he was highly respected by the British and Australian command, and the Australian troops. The centre is typical of recently created museums with outstanding use of video and interactive exhibits.
I was moved by the older Franco-Australian museum, built by the people of Villers Bretonneux, at the Victorian school. The love behind the exhibits was obvious, including letters and exhibits donated by individual Australians, and projects created by the children of the school. Through the window, we could see the children playing happily.
Australian soldiers helped to rebuild the town of Villers Bretonneux and Victorian school children raised money to build the Victoria School, completed in 1927. After the Victorian bushfires in 2009, the people of Villers Bretonneux raised money to rebuild Strathewere Primary School in Victoria. The Australian soldiers are remembered here every day in signs and flags. At our bed and breakfast accommodation, we stayed in a large house where our hosts, Francois and Francoise, raised ten children, some of whom were still at home and were very friendly. Interestingly, Francoise told us that until they moved into the area and their children attended the Victoria School, they had heard little of the history of the conflict and the sacrifice of Australians in the region.