My Grandfather on my mother's side enlisted in the 7th Light Horse in 1915. He went first to Egypt then to France (without his horse - he was transferred to the 20th Infantry Battalion) where he was wounded twice. In 1918 he was involved with the rest of the Australian army in the campaign to liberate the Somme Valley.
So we took the train to Amiens this morning and then drove to Villers-Bretonneux to visit the Australian War Cemetery. The graves there are of not only Australians but British and Canadian troops who fought together with the French to liberate this part of France.
We then drove to Le Cateau where my grandfather was stationed in the last half of 1918. It's a good sized town and the birthplace of Henri Matisse. We discovered that they have a Matisse Museum, set up by Matisse himself, with a good range of his works from the earliest to the latest. Needless to say this was the highlight of the day.

Red Poppy - the symbol of the battlefields of France

Villers-Bretonneux Australian War Cemetery

Villers-Bretonneux Australian War Cemetery

Villers-Bretonneux Australian War Cemetery

Le Cateau Main Street

Works in the Matisse Museum