The city of Amiens, capital of the Department of the Somme, was occupied by the British Army throughout the war and was defended mightily, especially in the spring of 1918. The Dominions contributed many forces to the battle in the area as well. Consequently, the city holds great emotional weight throughout the English-speaking world, including the United States, which had engineering troops who helped defend the city. Since the famous Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Amiens was a site of worship during the war, it was a natural focal point for commemorating the sacrifices of the war's fallen afterward. There are at least 11 commemorative unobtrusive memorial tablets in the cathedral today. Contributor and battlefield documentarian Steve Miller has provided of photos of a selection of these from his collection.
Great Britain and Ireland
Australia
New Zealand
6th Engineers of the U.S. Army
Interior View of Some of the Tablets
Not just the 6th Engineers, but sometime after May, elements of US II Corps deployed to the S & SE of that area as part of the defense and also the general offensive later that year.
ReplyDeleteOne unit was the 107 Inf reg-my Grandfather's unit.
Very moving
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