Pozières: The Battle Australians Know Less Than They Should

In six weeks at Pozières in the summer of 1916, three Australian divisions suffered approximately 23,000 casualties.

In eight months at Gallipoli, the entire Australian force suffered approximately 26,000 casualties.

Those numbers are roughly comparable. But Gallipoli is known by every Australian. Pozières is known by fewer. Part of that is geography, Gallipoli was a campaign, a defeat, a withdrawal, a story with a shape. Pozières was one grinding phase of one battle in one theatre of a four-year war. It is harder to tell.

But the men who fought here said it was the worst thing they ever experienced.

What happened at Pozières

Pozières is a village on the Albert-Bapaume road, sitting on the highest ground of the Somme battlefield. The village and the ridge behind it gave observation over a wide area, whoever held the high ground could direct artillery fire across most of the surrounding positions.

The British had tried to take Pozières on 1 July 1916 and failed. The task was given to the 1st Australian Division, who attacked at 12:30am on 23 July 1916. They took the village.

What followed was six weeks of German counter-attacks and artillery bombardment unlike anything the Australians had previously experienced. The Germans brought concentrated artillery to bear on the position and shelled it continuously. Men who survived described the noise as beyond description, the ground shaking constantly, the craters filling and being created faster than they could be counted.

Three Australian divisions rotated through Pozières between July and September 1916:

• 1st Australian Division: 23 July, took the village
• 2nd Australian Division: took over and pushed north towards Mouquet Farm
• 4th Australian Division: continued the advance

Total Australian casualties across the three divisions: approximately 23,000 in six weeks.

The official Australian historian Charles Bean wrote: "Pozières ridge is more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth."

What you can see at Pozières today

The windmill site. The original Pozières windmill, a prominent landmark before the war, was destroyed during the fighting. Its base survives and is maintained as a memorial. A bronze tablet marks the site. The Australian 1st Division memorial is nearby. This is the highest point of the Somme battlefield.

The view from the ridge. Stand at the windmill site and look south and west. You can see the ground the Australians attacked across in July 1916, and the surrounding positions that remained in German hands as the Australians tried to push north. The terrain makes the tactical situation legible.

The Tank Memorial. At the southern approach to Pozières on the Albert-Bapaume road, a preserved British Mark I tank marks the position where tanks were used in action for the first time on 15 September 1916. The tank's first operational use in warfare happened near here, though the results were mixed, many broke down before reaching the German lines.

Pozières British Cemetery. Located on the western edge of the village. Contains 2,759 burials, the majority British and Australian.

Mouquet Farm. One kilometre north of Pozières, Mouquet Farm was the objective of the Australian advance following the capture of the village. It was never taken by the Australians. The farm buildings visible today are post-war reconstructions.