Page 15 - Walking Back Through Time

The plaques and signposts immortalise this region which has become a centre of War Tourism. Along the way are broken areas which resemble partial trenches now flanked by evergreens interspersed across miles of arable land. During the time of the war the landscape along the Somme River would have been unrecognisable as men sheltered in dugouts from the barrage of shrapnel that left behind churned up mud, barbed wire and broken spirit. Today the forest is green enjoying a fertile ren- aissance and I am amazed to find crops standing tall at the start of Octo- ber!
Passing a farm I see a litter of cats learning their apprenticeship in the waste ground close by. Nearing Amiens the traffic intensifies as I focus to ensure I join the correct route into the town. Along this route I see no sign of the British military HQ though much of what existed then suf- fered destruction in the early battles of 1918 when the war was reaching its climax and the allies faced defeat. Only a hospice building resembles anything that may have survived that era. Inevitably there are no statues of Great War prophets either as most had predicted its end by Christ- mas. I guess part of that forecast was right - after all it didn't say which Christmas and it was in fact November when the guns fell silent, albeit another 4 years after the war began! It was at the Battle of Amiens though, that the war swung dramatically in favour of the allies. Ironical- ly the change of momentum was attributed to the success of the German camp whose March offensive saw spectacular gains of ground which in turn had separated them from their supply line. Exhausted from battle and unable to replenish their supplies the German resolve began to weaken; it was then that the tide finally began to turn. Brave speeches from Allied leaders pledging battle to the end helped inspire a great last stand; then came the ingenious counter-offensive orchestrated by Mar- shal Foch, the Allied Commander in Chief. It was the end of the road for Germany and consequently The Great War, as the allies further mechanised with tanks routed the enemy with stunning consequences. Eventually the Hindenburg Line was breached, when during the final assault, British howitzers transported along narrow gauge rail, fired close to a million shells in 24 hours. Battles were won quickly on the open ground and the Armistice soon followed as the Great War drew to a close on the 11th hour November 1914, over 4 years after it was waged.