The stained glass windows; my photos do not do justice to the cathedral
The interior
Amiens Cathedral
The Cathedral at Amiens is the tallest cathedral in France, situated near the heart of Amiens. Built in 1220, it is one of the most spectacular buildings I have ever seen.
Inside the cathedral's stained glass interior lies memorial plagues to those that fought to keep Amiens safe. These include Australian and New Zealand forces. Unlike the cathedral I went to in Paris, Amiens was not particular busy; it was a place of worship first and a cathedral second. It was beautiful inside, and the same choir from the two Centenaries played while we were there.
We must of spent an hour or so in the Cathedral, afterwards we made our way to the bus to proceed to the final stop on our trip.
Pozieres Centenary - Located at the 1st Australian Division Memorial and thoughts on the trip in general
After we got off the bus and past security, we made it to our final stop of the tour. The following is an exert from a speech I did before the trip about Pozieres: After capturing the village [Pozieres] from the Germans, The Australian forces held the village as the Germans attempted to retake the area. After 12 days the battle was over, the aftermath left the village destroyed and led to 23,000 Australian casualties. Of these, 6,800 were killed or died from their wounds. Today, a memorial stands just outside the village for those Australians that died Pozières.
That was the extend of my knowledge about Pozieres before the trip. numbers and statitics. When I wrote that piece I didn't know that I would one day go to Pozieres and see that memorial that stands there today. What I learned from this trip is that I have so much to learn; But I have learnt this: that seeing only a fraction of the grave sites and learning the story of only a few soliders has effected me more then all the theory I've done before. It is one thing seeing how many soldiers died on a page, it is another to see where they lay.
I found that more then anything else it has been personal stories that has effected me the most. I talked to two men who have given me insights; I know not their names, only that they themselves were Australian veterans and fellow tourists in France. This is what they told me.
One man on the 3rd or 4th day of the trip asked me about the scholar group. I explained to him about the scholarship. He told me that his grandfather was wounded here, when I said I was sorry to hear that he replied "Dont be; when he was wounded he met a British nurse and later married her; without him being wounded here I wouldn't be alive"
The next man I talked to saw the scholar group examining a photo. It depicted some Australian soldiers resting in a railway thicket during a battle. The man approached me and pointed at one of the soldiers, he told us that it was his grandfather in the photo.
It was these spontaneous moments that stand out to me from an unforgettable trip. I have learned so much more then what I knew, but I still have so much to learn.
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