Museum of the Battle of Fromelles inaugurated in France

A museum commemorating the Battle of Fromelles in 1916 will be officially opened at a ceremony attended by Australia’s Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Michael Ronaldson, and senior French officials.

Fromelles was the first major attack involving Australian troops on the Western Front. The assault, near the city of Lille, was aimed at diverting German attention from the Battle of the Somme.

Two days of fighting in July 1916 left more than 8,500 casualties, the majority of them Australian.

Through collections of objects from the trenches, archives, video installations and multimedia documents, the Museum of the Battle of Fromelles explores how the fallen are still being identified.

Source: Museum of the Battle of Fromelles; Australian War Memorial

Images: Daniel Barry, Centenary News

Posted by: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News