History
Back to NewsroomBullecourt: the Jean and Denise Letaille Museum and the remembrance of the battles of 1917
A few kilometres from the town of Arras and close to the old Hindenburg Line lies the village of Bullecourt, where two bloody battles were fought in which Australian troops were engaged on the Western Front during the First World War. Today, several memorials commemorate the Australians who helped recapture the town. The Jean and Denise Letaille Museum, Bullecourt-1917 continues to tell these stories.
History
In 1917, when the German Army was struggling following their failure at Verdun, their generals organised the fortification of part of the Western Front from Lens to Soissons, a stretch of almost 160km. This line, known as the Hindenburg Line after General Paul von Hindenburg, enabled the German troops to fall back and shorten their line to secure their position . The Allied troops were now faced with a major and seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
The sector of Bullecourt quickly became the scene of intense fighting, involving troops of the 5th British Army and of the 4th Australian Division.
Following on from attacks aimed at retaking this line, such as that at Vimy Ridge by the Canadians, Australian and British troops were ordered to attack the German position at Bullecourt on 11 April 1917. The assault failed due, in part, to being hastily planned resulting in a breakdown in communications. Armoured support was ineffective, leaving Australian and British troops at the mercy of the enemy’s bombardment and machine-gun fire.
The First Battle of Bullecourt on 11 April 1917 was a debacle with over 3,000 Australian casualties of which 1,170 were taken prisoner.
Less than a month later, on 3 May 1917, troops from the 62nd British Division and the 2nd Australian Division were mobilised to capture Bullecourt. After two weeks of intense fighting, the Germans withdrew from the remnants of the village leaving the Australians and British in control. There were over 15,000 British casualties which included over 7,000 Australians.
The Museum
Throughout their lives, Jean and Denise Letaille, a farming couple from Bullecourt, gathered an impressive collection of objects relating to the 1917 Battles of Bullecourt, found in their fields and in the surrounding countryside. The museum was refurbished in 2012 as part of an Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs programme to revitalise Western Front sites. The 210m² collection of artefacts highlights the battles fought at Bullecourt during the First World War.
The museum is divided into 3 sections. The first is devoted to the introduction and history of the museum, the second, in the old barn, to the history of the battles, with numerous artefacts from the period, and the third to the memory of the men, housed in the Letaille family’s former stable.
General information
Individuals
Opening times from April to September
Tuesday – Wednesday, 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 6pm
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 1.30 pm to 6 pm
Opening times from mid-February to March and from October to mid-December
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 1.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.
Groups
Opening times April to September
Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 6pm by prior arrangement
Opening times mid-February to March and October to mid-December
Tuesday to Sunday (1st and 3rd Sundays) of the month, 1.30 pm to 6 pm by prior arrangement.
Closed every Monday / Annual closure from mid-December to mid-February and public holidays except 8 May and 11 November.
Individual rates (including audio-guide)
Full price: €5 / Reduced price: 3 / Free for under-12s and disabled visitors
Group rates (including audioguide or guided tour)
Adult groups (more than 10 people, max 50): €4/person
School groups (primary, secondary, high school) – leisure centres (maximum 35): €2/child
Booking is required, at least three weeks before the visit.
Payment by cash or cheque.
Adress: 1 bis rue d’Arras, 62128 BULLECOURT
[email protected] – 03 21 55 33 20
In the area
In the heart of the village, in front of the church, a small memorial bearing a bronze Australian slouch hat pays tribute to the Australian and British troops who fought in the Bullecourt battles of 1917. It was installed on the initiative of Bullecourt teacher Claude Durand and Mayor Jean Letaille, who inaugurated the memorial on 24 May 1981. The slouch hat was added on 17 September 1981, donated by the Australian War Memorial and designed by Australian sculptor Roy McPherson.
A year later, in 1982, a small stone cross was erected on the edge of the village to honour soldiers who had been killed in action and have no known grave.
A few hundred metres from the village is the Digger statue in the Australian Memorial Park, which looks out over the fields of Bullecourt in tribute to the Australians who fought here. Made entirely of bronze by artist Peter Corlett, it was unveiled in 1993 and is, every year, the site of the Digger Service on Anzac Day.
