The best road cycling routes around Sainte-Catherine

Mont César rises to a height of 138 meters on the left bank of the Thérain River, near the hamlet of Froidmont, in the municipality of Bailleul-sur-Thérain, in the Oise department. The hill, which overlooks the valley and surrounding marshes, has been inhabited since the Bronze Age and was likely a Gallo-Roman oppidum on an ancient, fortified Gallic camp. Archaeological excavations carried out since the 18th century have unearthed numerous objects and remains of fortifications. During excavations conducted in 1878 by Isidore Berton, Gallic coins and various objects from the Roman period were discovered. Want to know more? Click through to the source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_C%C3%A9sar

Very beautiful ruin

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During the Great War, the Ecoivres cemetery was first used by the French (nearly 1,000 French graves) and then by Canadian and British units between 1916 and 1918. There were 1,825 soldiers on the site, including 828 Canadians.

A special story about the monument concerns the two colonels, Pein and Cros, who were both killed during the division's actions in May 1915. Their names are inscribed on the monument, along with an inscription commemorating the courage and determination of the soldiers: "Aux morts de la division marocaine, sans peur, sans pitié". This tribute emphasises the heavy losses and heroic efforts of the Moroccan Division during the battle.

The Monument à la Division Marocaine in Givenchy-en-Gohelle commemorates the courage and sacrifice of the Moroccan Division during the First World War. This monument was erected in honour of the breakthrough made by the division during the Battle of Artois on 9 May 1915. The Moroccan Division, led by General Georges Louis Humbert, played a crucial role in breaking through the German lines and capturing strategic terrain.

Within the 107 hectares of the Vimy Ridge National Historic Site of Canada, near the grandiose memorial erected in honor of the 66,000 Canadian soldiers who died in the Great War, a more modest building is dedicated "to the memory (...) of the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of the Moroccan Division who fell gloriously here on May 9, 10, and 11, 1915." Before the Canadians captured Vimy Ridge from the Germans in April 1917, other soldiers had already set foot there but were unable to hold their ground due to a lack of reinforcements and sufficient artillery support. These "forerunners" were the Moroccan Zouaves and riflemen, wearing red chechias and baggy trousers, accompanied in the Moroccan Division by Foreign Legion volunteers from 52 countries. To the men of the Moroccan Division who set out to assault Vimy Ridge On the morning of May 9, 1915, they broke through the German lines, crossed Folie Wood, and approached Vimy Ridge. To monitor their advance and adjust artillery fire, squares of white cloth were sewn to their backs, making them prime targets for the Germans on their flank. Furthermore, the artillery was running low on ammunition, and reinforcements were not forthcoming: the order to withdraw came with the evening. The Moroccan soldiers were forced to abandon the conquered ground at the cost of heavy losses. The riflemen of the Moroccan Division were among the approximately 820,000 men mobilized in the French colonies or protectorates during the First World War, including 636,000 sent to France as soldiers or laborers. Among the 449,000 engaged in the fighting, the majority came from Algeria (150,000) and the others from sub-Saharan Africa (135,000), Indochina (43,000), Tunisia (39,000), Morocco (34,000). 70,000 of them died on French soil.

The Canadian National Vimy Memorial (Vimy, Pas-de-Calais department) is a memorial dedicated to those who were missing or killed in World War I in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The monument is located on the site of a well-preserved or partially reconstructed battlefield, including trenches and tunnels. Guided tours are offered in French and English, there are several memorials, a permanent and a temporary exhibition, a museum shop and a marked hiking trail that conveys the history of the site.