Pozières Explained

Pozières
Commune Status:Commune
Arrondissement:Péronne
Canton:Albert
Insee:80640
Postal Code:80300
Mayor:Dominique Bierwald[1]
Term:2020 - 2026
Intercommunality:Pays du Coquelicot
Coordinates:50.04°N 2.725°W
Elevation M:163
Elevation Min M:115
Elevation Max M:161
Area Km2:3.24

Pozières (in French pronounced as /pɔz.jɛːʁ/;) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Geography

The commune is situated on the D929 road, 34km (21miles) northeast of Amiens between Albert and Bapaume, on the Pozières ridge.

Southwest of the village on Departmental Road 929 is the Pozières Memorial and Pozieres British Cemetery. The cemetery. A total of 14,720 men, mostly Australians, are buried here. Unidentified dead number 1,380. The memorial was dedicated in August 1930.[2]

History

The village was completely destroyed in World War I during what became the Battle of Pozières (23 July–7 August 1916), which was part of the Battle of the Somme. The village was subsequently rebuilt, and is now the site of several war memorials. The Australian flag flies over Pozières in recognition of the sacrifice of the ANZACs in the Battle of Pozières. Amongst the British and other Commonwealth forces who fought at Pozières, the Australians suffered over 5,000 killed, wounded or taken prisoner.

One of those killed, on 5 August, was the English composer George Butterworth, and in 2008 the road between the town and Martinpuich was renamed (George Butterworth Lane);).[3]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Répertoire national des élus: les maires. data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 2 December 2020. fr.
  2. Web site: Pozieres Memorial . Commonwealth War Graves Commission . 11 February 2021.
  3. Web site: Le chemin George Sainton Kaye Butterworth Lane . Images-en-somme.fr . 2011-10-15.