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Australian Corps Memorial—Le Hamel, France

Australian Corps Memorial flying the American, British, Australian, French and Canadian flags

The Australian Corps Memorial at Le Hamel marks the spot of a savage fight and a quick victory.

Even though a minor one, it gave Allied leaders then meeting in Paris a distinct morale boost.


At home, or as you tour the twelve locations of the Australian Remembrance Trail in France and Belgium, listen to a four-minute audio-cast featuring the extraordinary stories of Australian soldiers 'on this spot'. Listen to the audio-cast from your device.

Also available are all 12 audio-casts.

Audio transcript

This is the Australian Corps Memorial on the ridge overlooking the village of Le Hamel, near Villers-Bretonneux, in France. From here the view to the west and north is superb. In the distance, about four kilometres away, are the twin towers of the 18th century abbey church of Corbie; to the right, and down the hill, is the River Somme running due west through numerous open pond-like stretches of water; and peeping over the distant hill slightly to the south-west, is the top of the tower of the Australian National Memorial. Among the battle honours inscribed on that memorial is the name 'Hamel', which remembers the battle fought here on 4 July 1918.

Shaping his official narrative of that day's events, the diarist of the War Diary of the 44th Battalion AIF wrote: 'As darkness gave way to day, our men could be seen working their way steadily but surely to the crest of the ridge while eight tanks wobbled here and there over the slopes'. They had begun their advance on this strong German position known as the 'Wolfsberg', full of deep dugouts and stretching for some 500 metres north to south, in the dark from about two and a half kilometres away.

At 3.10 am an Australian artillery barrage had descended on the Germans, its effect vividly captured by our battalion diarist: '[it] came down with ferocious suddenness upon the enemy front line and pounded, battered and chopped it to pieces with shells of every calibre—light, medium, heavy, gas, shrapnel, high explosive'. After four minutes the barrage lifted 90 metres forward and then progressed, in stages like this, every one minute. Supported by British Mark V tanks, the men of the 44th Battalion advanced behind another Australian battalion towards Le Hamel. German machine gunners opened up and here the key role of the tanks is brought to life, as recorded once again in the War Diary: [they] smelt out the vicious machine guns in the enemy strong points, and summarily dealt with them in their own quaint manner'.

On reaching Le Hamel the 44th Battalion split into two groups and, each group accompanied by three tanks, went ahead around the village and straight up the slope at the Wolfsberg. Ahead of them the sky was lit up by exploding Verey lights and rockets as the embattled Germans sent up these colourful signals requesting badly needed artillery support. The 44th found the resulting barrage of little effect, but praised the manner in which their tanks dealt with the more troublesome machine guns. Indeed, it was the tanks which, as the War Diary put it, 'wobbled' over the summit of the ridge and cleared the German machine gunners from their positions.

'By twenty-five minutes to five' according to our war diarist, 'the ridge was ours'. That was, from their official record, just 85 minutes after the men of the 44th Battalion had begun their advance. Usually the time given for this most successful Australian advance and the capture of the German positions along the ridge beyond Le Hamel is 93 minutes. If their record is correct, the 44th beat that by eight minutes.

The Battle of Hamel on 4 July 1918, it is usually claimed, took 93 minutes. According to one source in their official 'War Diary' the 44th Australian Infantry Battalion required only 85 minutes to take all their objectives. Starting at 3.10 am, then moving around Le Hamel village, the Western Australians advanced uphill, and by 4.35 had driven the Germans from a series of trenches and dugouts on top of the hill. There today stands the Australian Corps Memorial, with sweeping views across the valley of the Somme, a fitting place at which to remember the victories of the Australian Corps in France in 1918.

The quick victory at Le Hamel, even though a minor one, gave Allied leaders then meeting in Paris a distinct morale boost.

Panorama: View from road between Australian Corps Monument and Le Hamel

This is the view from the hill to the east of the village of Le Hamel looking back over the valley of the Somme River.

On the skyline at [A] the top of the tower at the Australian National Memorial at Villers–Bretonneux is just visible. Slightly to the right, at [B], is the twin tower of Corbie church and the Somme itself is hidden in the trees running along the bottom of the hills to the right. In the early hours of 4 July 1918, the Australian attack on the German defences along the hill line beyond Le Hamel started from so-called 'jumping off' positions a few hundred metres beyond the village towards Corbie. It was mid-summer, and the tape laid out to show the start line, according to an American officer serving with the Australians, 'ran through waist-high wheat and clover fields'. The 43rd Australian Infantry Battalion took on the enemy in the village. The 44th Battalion split in two and came round the sides of Le Hamel and, with attendant tanks, moved up the hill to attack and capture the German hill top trenches. The battalion's war diary recorded the weather as fine and, despite the death and destruction around them, the men of the 44th probably found the view back over the Somme valley in the morning sunshine as splendid as it is to this day.

… the tanks … smelt out the vicious machine guns … and dealt with them in their own quaint manner.

[44th Australian Infantry Battalion, War Diary, July 1918, AWM4, 23/61/22 Pt 1.]

The 44th Australian Infantry Battalion captures the ridge above Le Hamel village

4 July 1918

At ten minutes past three our barrage came down with ferocious suddenness upon the enemy's front line area, and pounded, battered, and chopped it to pieces with shells of every caliber—light, medium, heavy, gas, shrapnel, high explosive, and phosphorous shells. The Boche [German] here suffered four-minutes' hell before the barrage began to lift in hundred yards' stages every minute, allowing our first wave (43rd Battalion) to advance to the attack with the cooperation of the 'tanks' which smelt out the vicious machine guns in the enemy strong-points, and summarily dealt with them in their own quaint manner.

Not many minutes passed before the first waves (43rd Battalion) had taken the first objective, and the on-coming tide of the 44th Battalion swept over it and on up the coveted ridge, 'A' and 'B' companies working round the left and 'C' and 'D' companies round the right of the village of Hamel, leaving the village to the mercies of Hotchkiss and the Pounder aboard six 'tanks'. Three 'tanks' accompanied each half of the battalion around the village.

Whilst our advance was in progress the enemy followed his usual procedure by filling the air with Verey lights and rockets—white, red, green, golden and showers—but whatever their significance, this barrage remained particularly feeble, and our boys advanced with practically no resistance from artillery, the machine guns giving the most trouble. A kind spurt from the uncanny 'tank', however, soon disposed of the defending 'gallants'.

A feature of the offensive was the effectiveness of the smoke barrages which were used on either flank to cover our advance. These consisted of thick white clouds of smoke which were worked across the front by the action of the wind.

The first 'tank' flying the Tricolour [French flag] denoting its return, was seen moving back at ten minutes past four apparently delighted with its success and leaving the village behind blazing furiously.

As darkness gave place to day, our men could be seen working their way steadily but surely to the crest of the ridge, whilst eight tanks wobbled here and there over the slopes and summit of the ridge clearing the Boche out of his strong defences commanding our old forward area.

By twenty-five minutes to five the ridge was ours, and, with 'C' Company in support, the remainder of the battalion commenced to consolidate their new front line, an old Boche trench just below the summit on the eastern slope. No.1 Platoon moved out on the left and dug an outpost about a hundred yards in front of the front line. 'B' Company in the centre also pushed out an outpost whilst 'D' Company secured the right flank.

[From 'Narrative of Hamel Offensive, July 4th–6th 1918', War Diary, 44th Australian Infantry Battalion, 23/61/22 Part 1, July Appendices, AWM4.]

Document: 44th Battalion's 'Narrative of Hamel Offensive'
Historic photo: Australian soldiers beside tank that was disabled in fight for Hamel
Historic photo: Hill and trenches captured by 44th Battalion, above Hamel, 1917 (1 of 2)
Historic photo: Hill and trenches captured by 44th Battalion above Hamel, 1917 (2 of 2)

Panorama: 360 view from Australian Corps Memorial, Le Hamel

This panorama is a 360-degree view of the landscape as seen from the Australian Corps Memorial at Le Hamel.

On the extreme left and right of the image—both marked [A]—are the last surviving trenches of the German position on these heights, seized by the 44th Australian Infantry Battalion at the Battle of Hamel on 4 July 1918. It was known as the 'Wolfsberg'—the wolf's mountain or lair. The top of the tower of the Le Hamel church is visible at [B] while the memorial itself dominates the centre of the panorama. Beyond the memorial wall, on the far right of the image at [C], is the tower of the church at Lamotte–Warfusée to the south-east. It was from the trenches to the north and south of where the memorial now stands that the AIF began its great advance to the east and south-east against the Germans on 8 August 1918, the Battle of Amiens, also called the 'black day' of the German Army by one of its supreme commanders, Chief of the General Staff, Eric von Ludendorff.

The Australian Corps Memorial

A key site on the Australian Remembrance Trail is the Australian Corps Memorial at Le Hamel. It commemorates and interprets the Battle of Hamel fought on 4 July 1918 when the Australian Corps was led for the first time by Lieutenant General John (later Sir John) Monash.

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