Attractions and Places To See around Villers-Au-Flos - Top 20

The Pipers Memorial in Longueval is a special tribute to all pipers who died during the First World War, regardless of their regiment or origin. It was unveiled on 20 July 2002 and stands in the village square, just off the Rue de Bazentin. The bronze statue, designed by Andy De Comyn, shows a piper in full uniform climbing out of a trench playing—a powerful symbol of courage and moral support for troops under fire. Plaques around the plinth list the regiments that lost pipers, and the memorial also remembers heroes such as Piper James Richardson VC, who led his battalion into the attack with his music and was later killed trying to retrieve his bagpipes. It is a rare monument that honours not only military valour but also cultural identity and tradition. A place where music and memory come together in stone and bronze.

French politician, MP and then resistance fighter, born on November 6, 1890 in Bapaume, he became mayor of the town in 1929. In 1934, he was elected general councilor of Pas-de-Calais. In 1936, he ran in the legislative elections and was elected in the second round. He was arrested in 1943 by the Nazis as he left the prefecture, and deported to the Gross-Rosen camp where he died on November 27, 1944. Since 1948, a monument showing him at the time of his arrest honors his memory. At the Town Hall there is an urn with soil from Gross-Rosen as well as a painting of him.

The Piper's Memorial pays tribute to the pipers who fell during the Great War, regardless of nationality or unit. Unveiled in 2002, this 3-meter-high statue depicts one of these musicians, straddling the parapet of his trench, playing his instrument to encourage the soldiers heading into the assault.

French politician, MP and then resistance fighter, born on November 6, 1890 in Bapaume, he became mayor of the city in 1929, in 1934, he was elected general councilor of Pas-de-Calais. In 1936, he ran in the legislative elections and was elected in the second round. He was arrested in 1943 by the Nazis when he left the prefecture, and deported to the Gross-Rosen camp where he died on November 27, 1944. Since 1948, a monument showing him at the time of his arrest honors his memory. At the Town Hall there is an urn with soil from Gross-Rosen as well as a painting representing him.

The town of Bapaume built its first Town Hall, a symbol of the city's independence, during the 12th century. The ground floor served as a market hall for merchants. Upstairs are the council chamber and the hall where public festivals were celebrated. The current architecture of the Town Hall is similar to the previous one, built between 1583 and 1611 and destroyed on March 25, 1917 following the explosion of a time bomb left by the Germans. After a slow and dangerous mine-clearing operation, it was rebuilt in its original location in 1931 and 1932 according to the plans of Mr. Eugène Bidard. The town's coat of arms is sculpted on the keystone of the entrance door. The slate roof is decorated with pointed dormers. At the top of the tower, an outdoor gallery allows you to admire the panorama. The belfry spire peaks at 55m.

The South African National Memorial at Delville Wood is a First World War memorial located on the territory of the municipality of Longueval, in the Somme department. It commemorates the engagement of South African troops during the Great War. A commemorative museum traces the history of South Africa's participation in World War I, World War II and the various conflicts of the Cold War. The British Military Cemetery at Delville Wood is located opposite the memorial. Delville Wood represents, for South Africans, the place where South African Union soldiers were first engaged on the Western Front. On July 14, 1916, the South African brigade, made up of four battalions, about 3,150 men, had been ordered to hold its positions "at all costs". Under the incessant fire of the enemy artillery, they had resisted and known a true hell (Delville wood will be renamed Devil wood, the wood of the Devil). When they were relieved on July 20, they left 1,080 of theirs, killed or missing, and 1,735 wounded. Wikipedia

passage on the scene of the battle of Arras at Ecoust st mein and bullecourt (where there is a museum), mentioned in the film "1917"