Albert is known as one of the most significant
points on the Remembrance Circuit. During The Battle of The Somme it
was the British garrison just behind the Western Front and most regiments
passed through the town at some time or other. Today it is home to The
Somme Trench Museum, where trench life is depicted in a series of displays
in an underground passage (formerly a WW2 air-raid shelter). The museum
stands next to the stunning basilica whose Mary and Child threatened
to fall during The Great War.
Albert is also known for its aeronautical past. Today the huge Airbus
campus dominates the town’s periphery as you head out to Bray-sur-Somme.
Albert is also home to The International Wildlife Film Festival which
takes place every March in the Theatre in the Town Hall square. The
event is hosted by famous French personalities and a truly international
jury comes to award the prizes each year.
If you go farther afield and reach Amiens you can visit Europe’s
most impressive Gothic cathedral. Drive out to the coast and you will
enjoy the natural beauty of the Baie de Somme. Call in at St. Valéry,
the scene of William The Conqueror’s departure that was to signal
a new era in British history.
