Ovillers-la-Boisselle in Somme, Upper France, France — Western Europe
Mouquet Farm
1916 - 1997
| | AIF Memorial Mouquet Farm | |
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, June 12, 2024
1. Mouquet Farm Marker
Mouquet Farm* situated on Pozieres Ridge, was a central bastion in the German defence position during the battles of the Somme from July to October 1916. The shattered farmhouse was then located to the left of the farm road on the crest before you, its deep cellars and tunnels were connected to a complex network of German trenches in the fields.
On the 5 August the Australians were first to attack this stronghold. Having just incurred a devastating loss of 17.000 men in the capture of Pozieres only one kilometre away: the Australians proceeded to claw their way up the slopes to Mouquet Farm. Each day in a nightmarish landscape deluged by artillery fire, both sides fought to the death over small sections of trench. After a month of this combat the exhausted Australians, with 6,300 casualties, were relieved on 5 September just outside the farm ruins by the Canadians. Twenty five days later the farm fell to the British.
The war would pass over this ridge again in 1918. Many of the men who fought and were lost in 1916 remain beneath this land forever: unknown, but never forgotten by their homeland,
this page online
*Known to the Australian soldiers as Moo-cow Farm
The First World War began on 4 August 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved many nationalities fighting in many countries but the longest and bloodiest of the battles were fought in Belgium and France along the western front.
This front ran in a continuous, narrow line for 700 kilometres, from the Belgian coast to Switzerland. The principal allied nations of France and Great Britain (including the Empire) were in combat with Germany for 4 years along the front, however its position altered little.
In 1918 the Australian army entered the Western front with a force of 180,000 men, three times the number that had served at Gallipoli (Turkey) in 1915.
The relationships formed during the war by France and Belgium with Australia flourish today with cultural, educational and economic exchanges. The friendship extended by local people to visiting Australians is indicative of the fellowship forged in the old battlefields, a fellowship, born
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, June 12, 2024
2. Mouquet Farm Marker
The farm can be seen in the distance.
Sculptor: Ross J. Bastiaan
La Ferme du Mouqet
La Ferme du Mouquet*, situee sur la crete de Pozieres, etait un bastion central de la position defensive des allemands durant les batailles de la Somme, de juillet a octobre 1916 a l'epoque, la ferme detruite etait situee sur la gauche de la route qui va vers la ferme, sur la crete devant vous ses caves et ses tunnels profonds etaient relies a un reseau complexe de tranchees allemandes creusees dans les champs.
Le 5 aout, les australiens furent les premiers a attaquer cette place forte. Ils venaient de subir l'enorme perte de 17,000 hommes-lors de la reprise de Pozieres a un kilometre d'ici les australiens remonterent les pentes, centimetre par centimetre jusqu'a la ferme du Mouquet. Chaque jour dans un paysage de cauchemar, sous le feu implacable de l'artillerie, les soldats des deux cotes se battirent a mort pour reprendre de petits troncons de tranchee apres un mois de combats acharnes, le 15 septembre, non loin des ruines de la ferme, les canadiens prirent la releve des soldats australiens epuises vingt-cinqjours plus tard, la ferme tomba aux mains des britanniques.
La guerre repassa sur cette crete en 1918. Bien des hommes qui se sont battus et ont perdu la vie en 1916 restent enterres ici a jamais; inconnus, mais non oublies de leur patrie, l'australie.
*Surnommιe (Moo-cow Farm) par les cordats australiens.
La premiere guerre mondiale a commence le 4 aout 1914 et a dure jusqu'au 11 novembre 1918, differentes nationalites ont combattu dans de nombreux pays, mais les batailles les plus longues et les plus sanglantes se sont deroulees en belgique et en france sur le front occidental. ce front setendait sur une ligne etroite et ininterrompue de 700 kilometres, de la cote belge a la suisse les principales nations alliees de la france et du royaume-uni (son empire y compris) ont combattu l'allemagne sur le front pendant quatre ans, sans que les positions changent beaucour.
En 1916, l'armee australienne a rejoint le front occidental avec un detachement de 180000 hommes soit trois fois le nombre de soldats qui ont combattu a gallipoli en 1915. les troupes australiennes ont acquis une reputation imperissable sur les champs de bataille de France et de Belgique pendant les trois annees de la guerre de ce fait 48000 hommes sur les 60000 australiens tues a la guerre sont morts sur le front occidental sur une population de 45 millions d'habitants seulement 313000 se sont portes volontaires pour aller se battre et 65% d'entre eux sont tombes.
Les relations que la France et la Belgique ont nouees avec l'Australie pendant la guerre sont florissantes aujourd'hui avec des echanges dans le domaine de la culture et de l'education ainsi que des echanges economiques. L'amitie que temoigne la population locale aux visiteurs australiens est revelatrice de la camaraderie qui s'est forgee sur les anciens champs de bataille, une camaraderie issue des efforts et des sacrifices mutuels de ces nations a cette epoque formatrice.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World I. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1916.
Location. 50° 2.968′ N, 2° 42.494′ E. Marker is in Ovillers-la-Boisselle, Hauts-de-France (Upper France), in Somme. It is at the intersection of Route D73 and La Ferme du Mouquet, on the right when traveling south on Route D73. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ovillers-la-Boisselle, Hauts-de-France 80300, France. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a French colony and also the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Durham Pals (approx. 1.4 kilometers away); The Thiepval Memorial (approx. 1.5 kilometers away); The Village of Thiepval Before the Great War (approx. 1.5 kilometers away); The Battles of the Somme (approx. 1.5 kilometers away); Imperial War Graves Commission (approx. 1.5 kilometers away); 'The Glorious Dead' ∙ Commemoration of the Missing (approx. 1.5 kilometers away); Construction of the Thiepval Memorial and Franco-British Cemetery (approx. 1.5 kilometers away); Inauguration of the Thiepval Memorial in 1932 (approx. 1.5 kilometers away).
Also see . . . Fighting for Mouquet Farm at Wikipedia. (Submitted on July 31, 2024.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2024, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 144 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 31, 2024, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia.
