We visited again in August 2001 and found it just as good. The bad attitude of the French has happened to me many times in France. I can only suppose that having fought them consistently over the last 1,000 years and beaten them at practically every turn, then twice having thrown out the invading Germans twice, they despise us for it. Here the front lines are but 300 or 400 yards apart, and the Newfoundland soldiers suffered appalling losses as they were ordered to stroll across the line in July 1916, into the howling German machine-guns. It is impossible to look across this vista, complete with rusting gun limbers and barbed-wire posts, without feeling a fierce pang for the men who died there.
Entrance is free.
From Beaumont-Hamel you can easily see the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing where a gigantic stone monument carries the names of 75,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers of no known grave. Awesome in its majesty, Thiepval stands on a prominent ridge and cannot be missed. Descend from the Battlefield Park and follow the railway line on the right. At the bottom of the hill, turn right over the railway and follow the signs for Thiepval, then the standard Commonwealth War Graves signs for the monument. If in doubt, keep climbing as the site is at the top of the hill.