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{{EngvarB|date=May 2016}} | |||
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{{Infobox French commune | |||
|name = Beaumont-Hamel | |||
|commune status = ] | |||
|image = Beaumont 4.JPG | |||
|caption = The monument to the dead, in Beaumont-Hamel | |||
|image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Savigny-sur-Braye (Loir-et-Cher).svg | |||
|arrondissement = Péronne | |||
|canton = Albert | |||
|INSEE = 80069 | |||
|postal code = 80300 | |||
|mayor = Agnes Briet-Lavaquerie<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=2 December 2020|language=fr}}</ref> | |||
|term = 2020–2026 | |||
|intercommunality = ] | |||
|coordinates = {{coord|50.084|2.6572|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | |||
|elevation m = 75 | |||
|elevation min m = 70 | |||
|elevation max m = 148 | |||
|area km2 = 8.31 | |||
|population = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}} | |||
|population date = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}} | |||
|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}} | |||
}} | |||
] | |||
'''Beaumont-Hamel''' ({{IPA|fr|bomɔ̃ amɛl}}) is a ] in the ] ] in ] in northern ]. | |||
] (red – British front line, blue – German fortifications).]] | |||
'''Beaumont-Hamel''' is a ] of the ] '']'', in northern ]. Population: 225. | |||
During the ], Beaumont-Hamel was close to the front line, near many attacks, especially during the ], one of the largest allied offensives of the war. | |||
On 1 July 1916, the ], the ] assaulted the German front line in an attempt to capture the village as part of the Somme Offensive. Included in this division was the ]. Newfoundland commemorates this event as Memorial Day on 1 July each year. | |||
:Postal code: 80 300 | |||
:Area: 8.31 km² | |||
:Altitude: 75 m | |||
Its ] by the ] on 18 November 1916 marked the end of the Battle of the Somme. Fought over for many years, by 1918, the village had been almost totally destroyed. | |||
==Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial== | |||
Situated some 7 miles north of ] and opened by ] on ], ] Newfoundland Memorial Park, covering 84 acres, was purchased by the ] as a memorial to the armed forces of ]. | |||
The banks of white chalk at Beaumont-Hamel led to a sector of British trenches being nicknamed "White City".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Baker|first1=John|title=White City', located near Beaumont-Hamel on the Somme, 1916. {{!}} British Army First World War|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/firstworldwarresources/archives/1555/white-city-located-near-beaumont-hamel-on-the-somme-1916|website=www.army.mod.uk|access-date=26 November 2016|date=June 5, 2014}}</ref> To the west of the village was ], one of the sites of the ] of the Battle of the Somme. | |||
Along with preserved trench lines there are a number of memorials and cemeteries contained within the park. Always a popular destination for WW1 battlefield visitors, the park was a focus of early pilgrimages by survivors of the war. On April 9, 1997, the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial was designated as a Canadian National Historic Site by the then Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila Copps. | |||
] | |||
There are three cemeteries within Newfoundland Memorial Park: Hawthorn Ridge No. 2 (containing 214 burials from ]; 191 ], 23 Newfoundland); Hunter's (46 burials); and Y Ravine (366 burials; 328 UK, 38 Newfoundland). | |||
{{clear left}} | |||
==Notable sights== | |||
Aside from the notable preserved trenches and memorials (which include monuments to the 51st and 29th Divisions), the park is famed also for the ], a trunk skeleton marking the spot where casualties were highest on July 1. | |||
As there was heavy fighting in this area during the Great War, there are many cemeteries and monuments, among which: | |||
* A number of British cemeteries (among which ]<ref></ref>) | |||
* ]. One of only two ] outside ] (the other being the ]) and includes three British Cemeteries<ref></ref> (], ] and ]) as well as the ] and a memorial to the ] (of which the Newfoundland Regiment was a part). | |||
* ] | |||
== |
==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | |||
⚫ | ==External links== | ||
On ], ], the ] of the ] in ], 800 soldiers of the ] rose from the ] ] and went into battle at Beaumont-Hamel, nine kilometres north of ] in France. The next day, only 68 men answered the regimental role call. 255 were dead, 386 were wounded, and 91 were listed as missing. Every officer who had gone over the top was either wounded or dead. | |||
⚫ | * | ||
] | |||
On the bloodiest day in the history of the ] (57,470 casualties, 19,240 dead) at the opening of the largest battle (over one million casualties) of the war, ] had also suffered its gravest military loss. To this day, Beaumont-Hamel remains the most significant single military action fought by Newfoundlanders and a turning point in the history and culture of the island. Newfoundlanders mark the date of July 1st not as ], but as Memorial Day, the date of remembrance for the Beaumont-Hamel battle. | |||
{{Commons category|Beaumont-Hamel}} | |||
==Honours== | |||
{{Somme communes}} | |||
In November of 1916 His Majesty ] granted the title "Royal" to the Newfoundland Regiment. No other regiment in the British Empire was awarded this signal honour, in the two years of brutal fighting which continued before the end of World War I on ] (], ] on the ].) | |||
== Visitors' Information== | |||
There is a Visitors' Centre which exhibits the historical and social circumstances of Newfoundland at the beginning of the 20th century, traces the history of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and some of its personalities. A Memorial room within the Centre houses a copy of the Newfoundland Book of Remembrance, along with a bronze plaque listing the Battle Honours won by the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and paying tribute to its fallen. The Visitors' Centre, which also incorporates the administrative offices and site archive, is manned by Canadian student guides who are available to assist visitors and provide guided tours. Site grounds are open at all times. The pathway to the caribou memorial and the memorial itself are lit in the evening until 23:00. | |||
'''Visitor Centre and Guided Tours:''' | |||
May 1st - October 31st (10:00 - 18:00) | |||
November 1st - April 30th (09:00 - 17:00) | |||
==Quotations== | |||
''"It was a magnificent display of trained and disciplined valour, and its assault only failed of success because dead men can advance no further."'' — Major-General Sir Beauvoir de Lisle, Commander of the ] on the 1st Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont-Hamel | |||
⚫ | ==External links== | ||
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{{Authority control}} | |||
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaumonthamel}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 23:33, 16 September 2024
Commune in Hauts-de-France, France
Beaumont-Hamel | |
---|---|
Commune | |
The monument to the dead, in Beaumont-Hamel | |
Coat of arms | |
Location of Beaumont-Hamel | |
Beaumont-HamelShow map of FranceBeaumont-HamelShow map of Hauts-de-France | |
Coordinates: 50°05′02″N 2°39′26″E / 50.084°N 2.6572°E / 50.084; 2.6572 | |
Country | France |
Region | Hauts-de-France |
Department | Somme |
Arrondissement | Péronne |
Canton | Albert |
Intercommunality | CC du Pays du Coquelicot |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Agnes Briet-Lavaquerie |
Area | 8.31 km (3.21 sq mi) |
Population | 202 |
• Density | 24/km (63/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 80069 /80300 |
Elevation | 70–148 m (230–486 ft) (avg. 75 m or 246 ft) |
French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Beaumont-Hamel (French pronunciation: [bomɔ̃ amɛl]) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
During the First World War, Beaumont-Hamel was close to the front line, near many attacks, especially during the Battle of the Somme, one of the largest allied offensives of the war.
On 1 July 1916, the First Day of the Somme, the 29th Division assaulted the German front line in an attempt to capture the village as part of the Somme Offensive. Included in this division was the Newfoundland Regiment. Newfoundland commemorates this event as Memorial Day on 1 July each year.
Its capture by the 51st (Highland) Division on 18 November 1916 marked the end of the Battle of the Somme. Fought over for many years, by 1918, the village had been almost totally destroyed.
The banks of white chalk at Beaumont-Hamel led to a sector of British trenches being nicknamed "White City". To the west of the village was Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt, one of the sites of the mines exploded on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
Notable sights
As there was heavy fighting in this area during the Great War, there are many cemeteries and monuments, among which:
- A number of British cemeteries (among which Beaumont-Hamel British Cemetery)
- Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. One of only two National Historic Sites of Canada outside Canada (the other being the Canadian National Vimy Memorial) and includes three British Cemeteries (Y Ravine Cemetery, Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery No. 2 and Hunter's Cemetery) as well as the Scottish Monument and a memorial to the 29th division (of which the Newfoundland Regiment was a part).
- Hawthorn Ridge Crater
References
- "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- Baker, John (June 5, 2014). "White City', located near Beaumont-Hamel on the Somme, 1916. | British Army First World War". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- Beaumont-Hamel British Cemetery on the CWGC website
- Beaumont-Hamel (Newfoundland) Memorial on the CWGC website