Thiepval Charity Site

CWGC INFORMATION SHEET
(NEEDS ADOBE ACROBAT READER)

LIST OF DONORS
(NEEDS ADOBE ACROBAT READER)

FINAL NEWSLETTER
from March 2005
(NEEDS ADOBE ACROBAT READER)

OPENING CEREMONY PROGRAMME

The Thiepval
Visitor Centre

8 rue de l'Ancre
80300 Thiepval
France

Tel: 00333 2274 6047
Fax: 00333 2247 6544

thiepval@historial.org

site managed by
1 Can Help, Web
Design Services

The CAF
Thiepval Project
Fundraising now complete

VISITOR CENTRE

STOP PRESS
29th April 2008

Opening
hours

Events

Centre Information

How to get
to the Centre

The Thiepval Memorial is to Close for Maintenance

(From the CWGC website)

" The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme will close for five weeks from 12 May 2008 for essential maintenance.

The Thiepval Memorial was built and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It is the largest Commonwealth war memorial in the world, commemorating 72,000 casualties from the United Kingdom and South Africa who died in the Somme sector during the First World War.

The extensive maintenance will involve removal of the build up of algal growth, treatment of surfaces with biocide spray, cleaning of the flat roofs and internal rain water system. In order achieve this work in the most efficient and effective manner and to limit the amount of time the Memorial will be inaccessible to the public the work will be carried out by CAN UK Ltd a specialist roped access company.

Unfortunately, due to the extent and nature of the work being carried out, the memorial will have to be completely closed to the public. The Commission will provide photographs of specific commemorations and the nearby visitor centre will be open to answer any queries.

Peter Francis of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission said,

“ We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to anyone wishing to visit the memorial during this time but we trust that the public will appreciate that it is vital to ensure that the fabric on which these men’s names are inscribed is maintained to a standard befitting their sacrifice.”

For further information please contact the Commission’s Media Team through the Contact Us Pages or by telephone on 01628 507163 or 01628 507171. "

New Royal British Legion representative at the Visitor Centre.

Following a series of Royal British Legion / Historial de la Grande Guerre interviews which took place at the British Consulate-General in Lille, Mr Lawrence Brown has been appointed as RBL representative at the Thiepval visitor centre and commenced work on Monday 16th July 2007.

We were honoured with a high calibre of candidates for this RBL funded position and extend a warm welcome to Lawrence as an additional member of the Thiepval team.

His position is additional to the existing team members and he will often be able to escort visitors to the memorial as well as perform his other tasks on behalf of the Royal British Legion.

Royal British Legion HRH The Queen Mother Great War scholarships
for 2008.

The following is now on the Royal British Legion website:-

The Royal British Legion is pleased to announce its second year of HM The Queen Mother Great War Scholarships.

Two scholarships were established last year with the blessing of HRH Prince of Wales. They commemorate the loss of his Great Uncle (Fergus Bowes-Lyon, his Grandmother HM The Queen Mother’s brother) who was killed in action in the Battle of Loos during the First World War. The scholarships have been established to continue the memory of the Missing in the Great War and to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of the Somme and its place in the history of the First World War.

This year, which marks the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, The Royal British Legion is offering these two scholarships to Secondary school teachers, NQTs and PGCE teachers.

The object of the scholarships is to create or develop a lesson plan, an activity outside the classroom, or an in-depth thematic subject (eg experience of the PALs) linking the broad theme of Remembrance to the Somme. This can be done as an actual visit or via a website and other research for use in Key Stages 2-4 History. The piece of work produced will be jointly owned by the Legion and the scholarship researcher. The lesson plan or activity may be incorporated into The Legion's materials for schools and be included in the school section of The Legion's website in future years.

Applicants will be expected to spend up to 6 weeks in the Somme area, commencing July 2008, to undertake their project. The two successful candidates for 2008 will receive a bursary of up to £4,000 (to be paid in £Stirling) to cover the cost of travel to and from the Somme, petrol expenses, food and accommodation and travel insurance for the period.

Those interested in applying should contact Lawrence Brown on lbrownrblthiepval@hotmail.fr. Interested applicants should submit their applications in writing to Lawrence Brown (via email or post) with a letter of application presenting their case for being awarded the scholarship and an accompanying outline of their object for the scholarship, initial ‘idea’ for their lesson plan or activity outside the classroom and how it will be used to link the theme of Remembrance to Thiepval, as part of Key Stages 2 - 4 History in the National Curriculum.

The deadline for applications is 30th April 2008. We gather this date may have been extended. Interviews for short-listed candidates will be held on 21st May in London at 48 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5JY

Further details:
The applicants will be based, for the period of the scholarship, at the Thiepval Visitor Centre on the Somme. The visitor centre is run by the Historial de la Grande Guerre. The Legion-funded education guide based at the centre will be responsible for the scholars during their stay. Applicants will also get the chance to attend a series of organised events taking place in the area:

· Irish Peace Park at Messines (Belgium) reconciliation program concerning the religious divide in Ireland, via the experiences of the 16th and 36th divisions.

· The Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Go behind the scenes at the Commission’s workshops near Arras as well as their educational resources.

· The Volksbund. The German equivalent of the War Graves Commission – spend time with one of their youth camps that spend two weeks working on cemetery maintenance and reconciliation.

· Spend time at The Thiepval Visitor Centre and find out what draws people there and how the site is interpreted for school groups.

· The Historial de la Grande Guerre at Péronne – see a French view of the Great War and the work they carry out with visiting school groups.

· Visit Beaumont Hamel, the Newfoundland Memorial Park and study the work of the Canadian guides and attend induction courses for new intake of guides at Beaumont Hamel and Vimy week of 18th August.

Please note this is an example of events and not guaranteed at the time of writing.

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Thiepval Visitor Centre
Opening hours
(changed)

0900 - 1700 1st November to 29th February
1000 - 1800 1st March to 31st October.

The Centre is open every day
(except for the Christmas - New Year closure)

Entrance is free.

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Events

There are always exhibitions at the Historial de la Grande Guerre
in Péronne Historial de la Grande Guerre

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The Centre

The English-speaking members of staff, Vincent, Dawn, Cathy and Emilie are there to welcome you. They are also assisted by other 'Historial' staff. Tel: 00333 2274 6047

The Centre manager is Vincent Laude thiepval@historial.org

Lawrence Brown the Royal British Legion representative is also on duty in the Centre.

In July 2007, under "Lawrence Brown" The Royal British Legion site stated:
The Legion now have their own representative working at the Thiepval Memorial Educational Centre in the Somme. Lawrence Brown will be working alongside the current team at the Centre to help bring the importance of Remembrance to visitors to the area. He is hugely knowledgeable, so if you are planning a trip to the Somme battlefields it would be well worth contacting him on:- lbrownrblthiepval@hotmail.fr

The Historial de la Grande Guerre (museum) of Péronne who manage the Centre on behalf of the Conseil Général de la Somme is a first class international museum and well worth a visit by anyone interested in the Great War. www.historial.org

Guillaume de Fonclare is Director of the Historial de la Grande Guerre. He is working hard to improve and coordinate the facilities for visitors throughout the Somme battlefields.

Completion of the work of the Charity

On 1^st June 2006 the Thiepval Project handed over the last vestiges of their responsibility in respect of the new Visitor Centre to the Conseil Général de la Somme.

The Charity again took the opportunity of expressing their sincere appreciation for all that our French friends have done and will now continue to do in the creation and maintenance of a Visitor Centre at Thiepval.

The British interest in the Centre has now devolved upon a joint Franco-British Advisory Committee

LE CENTRE D’ACCUEIL ET D’INTERPRÉTATION DE THIEPVAL
THE THIEPVAL VISITOR CENTRE

Membres du comité consultatif franco-britannique
Members of the Franco-British advisory committee

	le Président du Conseil général
	le Vice-Président chargé de la Culture
	le Conseiller général délégué au Tourisme de mémoire
	le Conseiller général du canton d’Albert
	le Directeur général des services du Conceil général et ses collaborateurs concernés
	le Directeur du C.D.T. de la Somme
	le Directeur de l’Historial de la Grande Guerre

	The British Consul General, Lille
	The Director, France, Commonwealth War Graves Commission
	The Head of Remembrance Travel, Royal British Legion
	The Chairman, The Thiepval Project
	The Military Attaché, British Embassy, Paris
	The Director, Imperial War Museum
	The Lutyens Trust
	The Charles Skey Trust
	Interreg IIIA

New Thiepval church clock with the hours rung on the bell by a device donated by the Thiepval Project

On 30th March 2008 as a retirement gift to her village, after many years as Mayor of Thiepval, Madame Geneviève Potié MBE donated a clock which has been placed in the empty space left for one when the new church was rebuilt in 1930. To accompany this clock the Thiepval Project has arranged for the church bell to sound the hours. It is also rung for five minutes at noon each day and should also ring for five minutes at 0730 on each 1st July. This is one of the final uses of Project funds which are now virtually extinguished and it is hoped that the sounding of the bell will be associated with all the men who suffered and died in this area during the battles of the Somme.

The Thiepval Project once again wishes to thank Madame Potié for making the land available for the visitor centre and hopes that she will grace many more 1st July ceremonies with her presence and under a beautiful hat.

The new Mayor is Monsieur Max Potié.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

In June 2006 the Conseil Général de la Somme awarded a contract to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to maintain the grounds around the Visitor Centre. This news was welcomed by all concerned with the Thiepval Project.

The return of choir stall panels to the Albert Basilica

In August 1918 Captain George Grove Blackwell (RAOC) rescued some wooden choir-stall panels from the ruins of the Albert basilica. These panels have been in the UK ever since, but three of them were returned to the Basilica on Sunday 2^nd July 2006 during an impressive Ecumenical Service.

The Grove Blackwell family was represented among others by Ray, the son and Tim the grandson of the Captain, who was a Bomb Disposal Officer.

Two more of these panels are lodged in the Church at Thiepval and may be viewed there. It is planned that the Centre reception desk should have a key to the church.

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For those travelling to the Somme or planning visits to the Great War battlefields the following websites may be of use:-

Historial de la Grande Guerre          www.somme-battlefields.com         Somme-Tourism

http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/news/

The Somme Remembrance Association           RBL Somme Branch       w ww.somme-1916.com

   The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The Royal British Legion The Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park Delville Wood

Bony USA cemetery, Somme Cemeteries in Picardy The Digger history site

HOW TO GET TO THE VISITOR CENTRE

Calais to Thiepval

Approximate mileage from the Channel Tunnel

0 From TUNNEL take A16 → Calais / Lille / Reims / PARIS until exit 18

6 At / from CALAIS take A26 → St Omer / Arras / Reims / PARIS

25 Toll booth - payage Take ticket (Near St Omer)

72 Go on past exit 17 (Arras) then branch on to A1→ Arras-Est / PARIS

86 Leave A1 at exit 14 BAPAUME Toll € 9.10 . Take the By-pass → AMIENS Albert

87  Follow → AMIENS Albert After the 4th roundabout you will be on the D 929

88 LE SARS   Carry straight on through village

98 POZIÈRES, turn right → Thiepval. (It is signposted )

100 THIEPVAL, turn left for Monument and Visitor Centre (follow the signposts)

Speed limits: KM / MPH
autoroutes:130 / 80 if fine, 110 / 68 in rain, or if so marked.
On open road 90 / 55. (not 60 as in UK)
In towns and villages 50 / 30. (The town / village name sign counts as an automatic 50 / 30 limit sign.)
70 / 43 in certain marked places such as near cross roads on the D929

It is often easier to pay the autoroute toll by credit card (CB). Put both your card and the ticket into the machine, or if the queue is not too long, just give your card and the ticket to the attendant. (Visa or Master Card). They return your card instantaneously.

CALAIS to THIEPVAL should take you no more than 1h 30mins

Entrance to the Visitor Centre is free.