The museum is within the ruins of an old moated castle.
Once inside the castle gate you are greeted by a French Saint Chamond heavy tank. With the exception of the Renault FT tank, many French WW1 tanks were less than impressive. The Saint Chamond was a reasonably successful design. http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww1/fr/ww1-char_saint_chamond.php
France's collective experience of the Great War.
The museum provided excellent context of the political situation in Europe that led to war.
A flag from the German Far East Squadron of Rear Admiral Graf Spee.
Naval dress uniform for colonial service.
The museum is imaginatively laid out inside the open and spacious interior. Exhibits are laid out by year and include detailed and informative narratives of the events of each year. Within the floor, uniforms and materiel is displayed. This display from 1914 shows the uniforms that France started the war with. Catastrophic losses in the war's early battles led to these brightly coloured uniforms being quickly replaced.
The new French uniform of 1915. Still blue but now a subtle and subdued tone.
Another view of the French field kit.
Colonial troops. On the left is a uniform of French African troops. In the centre is the French North Africa zouave uniform. Like the French red breeches above, this uniform too would quickly be withdrawn. On the right is an Australian ANZAC uniform.
British kit. Unlike the other belligerents, Britain fielded an entirely volunteer and professional army. This is the standard kit for field service.
Another angle.
Canadian field kit.
German Landsser
German cavalry and Hussar's uniform. Note the death's head busby.
The machinery of death
Nursing and medical equipment.
A range of helmets. It's interesting to note that most armies entered the war without armoured helmets as part of their field kit. The German pickelhelm for instance, was made from pigskin.
The dehumanization of a war of attrition.
Three long tressle tables were strewn with field finds from the surrounding farms. A century after the war, this detritus is still surfaced each year.
The Historial de la Grande Guerre museum at Peronne is well worth a visit if you are traveling the battlefields of the Somme region of France. It is really well thought out and displayed. It is not a particularly large museum and can be appreciated in about an hour.
The address of the museum is Château de Péronne, Place André Audinot 80200 Péronne
Check out their very informative website for details - https://www.historial.fr/en
The battlefield and monument at Theipval is nearby.
No comments:
Post a Comment