Albert
Somme
This town, which is full of history, was to know a huge industrial development during the XIXth Century. The town counted 7,343 inhabitants in 1914…. In January 1919 there were only 120.
Occupied by the Germans from the 29th August until 14th September 1914 they then retreated after the Battle of the Marne. After being heavily bombarded, it was in January 1915 that a German shell hit the Golden Virgin (a statue placed right on top of the Basilica’s steeple) and left it hanging horizontally. Allied troops believed, the day that the Golden Virgin fell, would be the day that the war would end. It was eventually sent down by allied fire in 1918.
After British troops replaced the French in July 1915, Albert became the centre of intense military activity – especially during the Battle of the Somme (officer headquarters, billets, ammunition depots, hospitals and incessant convoys of troops and vehicles moving to and from the font lines). It is still a very symbolic town for the British.
The Germans retook Albert in March 1918, but the British managed to take it back in August. By then all that was left of the town was a huge pile of rubble.
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