Bullecourt 1917, Jean and Denise Letaille museum

Last updated
Musée Jean et Denise Letaille, Bullecourt 1917
Bullecourt 1917, Jean and Denise Letaille museum
Established25 April 2012
Location1 bis rue d'Arras, 62223 Bullecourt, France
Coordinates 50°11′35″N2°55′43″E / 50.1931°N 2.9286°E / 50.1931; 2.9286 Coordinates: 50°11′35″N2°55′43″E / 50.1931°N 2.9286°E / 50.1931; 2.9286
Area210 sq ft (20 m2)

Bullecourt 1917, Jean and Denise Letaille museum, is a French museum, located in Bullecourt. It is a military museum about the First World War, and the nearby Battle of Arras in particular.

Contents

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Battles of Bullecourt

First battle of Bullecourt (10 April 1917)

Australian soldiers with a Stokes mortar on 8 May 1917 AustraliansWithStokesMortarBullecourt8May1917.jpeg
Australian soldiers with a Stokes mortar on 8 May 1917

On 10 April 1917, the 62nd British Division and Australian 4th Division attacked the village of Bullecourt to repel the German enemy. Tanks should support this attack, but they were delayed by bad weather. Two battalions of the West Yorkshire Regiment that didn't know the delaying of the attack were severely touched. On 11 April 1917, only eleven Mark II tanks supported the troops for another assault.

Harry Murray took part in the battle where his friend Percy Black is killed.

Second battle of Bullecourt (3 May 1917)

After this first failure, a second assault took place from 3 to 21 May 1917. At 3.45 am on 3 May 1917 the attack was launched. However, thanks to their deep underground shelters many Germans escaped the bombardments. Part of the attacking force was exposed to machine guns and many soldiers were killed in No man's land.

After an hour of fighting, the Australians seized a section of the first two German lines. The British 62nd Division attacked the ruined of Bullecourt on the morning of 3 May. Despite the support of ten tanks, the attack failed in the face of the Württemberg division. George Howell was seriously wounded during the fighting. At the end of the battle, the Allies retained a small part of the Hindenburg Line but it was of no tactical significance. The British Army then focused its attention on the battles in Flanders.

Results

From May 1917 to March 1918, 8,893 British and 10,771 Australians and more than 10,000 Germans were killed. Among the survivors, there were many who would die during later battles in 1917 and 1918.

2,249 Australians and 1,875 British killed in Bullecourt have no known grave. Their names were inscribed on the Villers–Bretonneux Australian National Memorial and on the British Arras Memorial. The remains of many soldiers still lie in the ground of Artois.

Since 1993, the digger monument commemorates the battles of Bullecourt.

History of the museum

Exhibition space in April 2012 Collection Jean Letaille (Bullecourt).jpg
Exhibition space in April 2012

The museum was born from the collection of Jean and Denise Letaille, a farming couple who collected objects found during tillage. [1]

In 2008, the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs wants to upgrade seven sites showing the Australian forces during the First World War (Ypres and Passchendaele in Belgium; Fromelles, Bullecourt, Mont-Saint-Quentin, Pozières and Villers-Bretonneux).

Work began in 2011, funded by the Australian Government, the French General Council of Pas-de-Calais, the Regional Council of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and the local municipalities for €900,000.

The renovated museum opened on 25 April 2012 for Anzac Day.

Jean Letaille died on 10 March 2012, a month and a half before the museum opened (his wife Denise had died in 2004).

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Division (Australia)</span> 1916-1944 Australian Army infantry division

The Australian 4th Division was formed in the First World War during the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) infantry brigades in February 1916. In addition to the experienced 4th Brigade were added the new 12th and 13th Brigades. From Egypt the division was sent to France, where it took part in the fighting on the Western Front during 1916–1918. After the war ended, the AIF was demobilised and the division was dissolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Hamel</span> Battle of World War I

The Battle of Hamel was a successful attack by Australian Army and US Army infantry, supported by British tanks, against German positions in and around the town of Le Hamel, in northern France, during World War I. The attack was planned and commanded by Lieutenant General John Monash, commander of the Australian Corps, and took place on 4 July 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindenburg Line</span> Defensive fortification in World War I

The Hindenburg Line was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 1916, the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme left the German western armies exhausted and on the Eastern Front, the Brusilov Offensive had inflicted huge losses on the Austro-Hungarian armies and forced the Germans to take over more of the front. The declaration of war by Romania had placed additional strain on the German army and war economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Arras (1917)</span> British offensive during the First World War

The Battle of Arras was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the Western Front. The British achieved the longest advance since trench warfare had begun, surpassing the record set by the French Sixth Army on 1 July 1916. The British advance slowed in the next few days and the German defence recovered. The battle became a costly stalemate for both sides and by the end of the battle, the British Third Army and the First Army had suffered about 160,000 casualties and the German 6th Army about 125,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Division (Australia)</span> Formation of the Australian Army

The 2nd Division of the Australian Army commands all the Reserve brigades in Australia. These are the 4th in Victoria and Tasmania, the 5th in New South Wales, the 11th in Queensland, the 13th in Western Australia, and the 8th spread across the country. The division is also responsible for the security of Australia's northern borders through its Regional Force Surveillance Units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Division (Australia)</span> Formation of the Australian Army

The 1st Division is headquartered in Enoggera, a suburb of Brisbane. The division was first formed in 1914 for service during World War I as a part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). It was initially part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and served with that formation during the Gallipoli campaign, before later serving on the Western Front. After the war, the division became a part-time unit based in New South Wales. During World War II it undertook defensive duties in Australia. It was disbanded in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullecourt</span> Commune in Hauts-de-France, France

Bullecourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of St Quentin Canal</span> 1918 battle on the Western Front of World War I

The Battle of St Quentin Canal was a pivotal battle of World War I that began on 29 September 1918 and involved British, Australian and American forces operating as part of the British Fourth Army under the overall command of General Sir Henry Rawlinson. Further north, part of the British Third Army also supported the attack. South of the Fourth Army's 19 km (12 mi) front, the French First Army launched a coordinated attack on a 9.5 km (6 mi) front. The objective was to break through one of the most heavily defended stretches of the German Siegfriedstellung, which in this sector used the St Quentin Canal as part of its defences. The assault achieved its objectives, resulting in the first full breach of the Hindenburg Line, in the face of heavy German resistance. In concert with other attacks of the Grand Offensive along the length of the line, Allied success convinced the German high command that there was little hope of an ultimate German victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Division (Australia)</span> Australian Army formation of World War I and II

The 5th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army which served during the First and Second World Wars. The division was formed in February 1916 as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force infantry brigades. In addition to the existing 8th Brigade were added the new 14th and 15th Brigades, which had been raised from the battalions of the 1st and 2nd Brigades respectively. From Egypt the division was sent to France and then Belgium, where they served in the trenches along the Western Front until the end of the war in November 1918. After the war ended, the division was demobilised in 1919.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noreuil</span> Commune in Hauts-de-France, France

Noreuil is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux</span> 1918 battle of the First World War

The Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux took place from 24 to 27 April 1918, during the German spring offensive to the east of Amiens. It is notable for being the first occasion on which tanks fought against each other; it was the biggest and most successful tank action of the German army in the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy Black</span> Australian soldier

Percy Charles Herbert Black, was a decorated Australian soldier who served with the Australian Imperial Force in the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallach brothers</span>

The Wallach brothers were a family of eight boys born to Henry and Mary Wallach of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia toward the end of the 19th century. Six of the brothers all saw active service in World War I. The fourth and eighth brothers, Clarrie and Neville were both top-grade rugby union players before the War. They both saw action at Gallipoli, were promoted on the Western Front as Captains, were both recipients of the Military Cross and each fell within a week of each other in France in fighting at the time of the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Michael</span> 1918 German offensive during World War I

Operation Michael was a major German military offensive during the First World War that began the German Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France. Its goal was to break through the Allied (Entente) lines and advance in a north-westerly direction to seize the Channel Ports, which supplied the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and to drive the BEF into the sea. Two days later General Erich Ludendorff, the chief of the German General Staff, adjusted his plan and pushed for an offensive due west, along the whole of the British front north of the River Somme. This was designed to first separate the French and British Armies before continuing with the original concept of pushing the BEF into the sea. The offensive ended at Villers-Bretonneux, to the east of the Allied communications centre at Amiens, where the Allies managed to halt the German advance; the German Army had suffered many casualties and was unable to maintain supplies to the advancing troops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">50th Battalion (Australia)</span> Military unit

The 50th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in Egypt in early 1916 for service during World War I, drawing a cadre of experienced personnel from the 10th Battalion. After the unit's formation, it was transferred to Europe where it took part in the fighting in the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium. Following the end of hostilities, the battalion was amalgamated with the 51st Battalion in early 1919 as demobilisation reduced the numbers in both battalions. In the inter war period, the battalion was briefly reformed in 1921 as a part-time unit based initially in South Australia and then later in Tasmania. At different periods it was amalgamated with both the 10th and 12th Battalions. The battalion did not see combat during World War II, being employed as garrison troops in Australia instead, and it was disbanded in mid-1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">56th Battalion (Australia)</span> Military unit

The 56th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in 1916 for service during the World War I and took part in the fighting in the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium before being amalgamated with the 54th Battalion in late 1918 following the German spring offensive reduced the numbers in both battalions. After the war, the battalion was re-raised as a part-time unit in New South Wales. During World War II the battalion was mobilised and undertook garrison duties in Australia until it was disbanded in 1944. It was briefly re-raised in 1956, but was disbanded the following year and its personnel used to re-raise the 4th Battalion, which later became part of the Royal New South Wales Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">54th Battalion (Australia)</span> Military unit

The 54th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in 1916 for service during World War I and took part in the fighting in the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium before being amalgamated with the 56th Battalion in late 1918 following the German spring offensive that reduced the numbers in both battalions. The battalion was re-raised in 1921 as a part-time unit in New South Wales before being amalgamated with the 20th Battalion in 1929. At the outbreak of World War II, the battalion was reformed in its own right, undertaking garrison duties in Australia until being disbanded in 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German attack on Lagnicourt</span> First World War battle

The German attack on Lagnicourt on 15 April 1917 was a military operation on the Western Front during the First World War. Four German divisions conducted a spoiling attack on the positions of the 1st Anzac Corps of the British Fifth Army. The attack was intended to delay the advance of the Fifth Army towards the Hindenburg Line, inflict casualties and destroy as much equipment, particularly artillery, as possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First attack on Bullecourt</span>

The first attack on Bullecourt was a military operation on the Western Front during the First World War. The 1st Anzac Corps of the British Fifth Army attacked in support of the Third Army, engaged in the Battle of Arras further north. The Report of the Battles Nomenclature Committee (1921) called operations subsidiary to the main Battle of Arras the Flanking Operation to the Arras Offensive.

References

  1. Fathi, Romain (2019). Our Corner of the Somme. Australia at Villers-Bretonneux. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 126–127. ISBN   9781108471497.