Walking Verdun

Post Tour Report

Our walking tour group of 24 passengers arrived in Verdun at the Prunellia Hotel as an autumnal dusk fell on Verdun. Timely pick ups and a smooth journey down had allowed the journey down to the Meuse region to pass effortlessly by. After a quick briefing on the tour itinerary and a historical overview every one retired to bed eager for the walks ahead.

Itineraries must always be flexible! The delights of being supplied with a brand new coach dimmed quickly when the immobiliser was too efficient! Lead guide, Clive Harris reacted quickly to the changing scenario and launched an impromptu “guided walk around Verdun”. Through the Cities Vauban defences we came to the old Hotel de Ville with the Cannons of 1870 guarding the entrance alongside which stands an unexploded 2000KG bomb dropped by the Germans in 1944 and presented by US bomb disposal teams. Along the fashionable and rebuilt Quai du Londres our next stop was the Memorial to the fallen of Verdun which represents the five Army Corps in striking white stone, five larger than life soldiers stand in line flanking the approach to the next stop; Porte Chaussee with it’s ancient portcullis it bears the scars of artillery strikes and near misses. Brilliant warm sunshine shone as we continued along the Meuse river to the Victory monument. Careful watch of the merry band was needed, the draw of cakes and coffee shops was almost too much for some as we walked through the ancient town to the Citadel and the “quirky” museum deep within. The “fairground” style ride through the museum appeals to some more than others but did get a general thumbs up.

With the coach back on the road we wound our way up to the battlefield on the hills above Verdun to start our walk following the “Gallant last stand of Colonel Driant” The walk, through beautiful forest trails was the backdrop for Julian and Clive to set the scene for the vast battle of Verdun in 1916.
Colonel Driants command bunker still stands today and provided an evocative start for the walk in the Bois Caures and from where the Regiments of Chasseurs à Pied tried vainly to stem the flow of German assault troops. Cutting through the wood, pausing at the Driant memorial and his two grave markers we battled with some very muddy tracks which added to the atmosphere of the walk and reminded everyone of another facet of the Verdun battle. Emerging from the trails we finished Day One at the ruined village remains of Beaumont. Tired legs were evident as the group gathered in the rapidly cooling afternoon and sat at the old cemetery, and debated the history of the village.

Evening meals and drinks were taken by people at different watering holes, some paid the €8 and shared a taxi to the livelier end of town while others were content with the super buffet in the Hotel. Walk two began at the Ouvrage Froidterre and ending at Fleury was designed to tell the story of the Germans success in the summer of 1916 but also the tale of how the French stemmed the flow. The Ouvrage was like a magnet drawing the group inside to its darkness and before long everyone was darting about inside and out exploring the redoubt, its defences and concrete shelters some with still moving cupolas. The horrific conditions for the French who sheltered at the Quatre Chiminees was told in the dark deep tunnels with only torches flashing and imaginations let loose. Moving on we descended into the Ravine des Vignes to Fleury and its excellent museum. Present in the group was a second war veteran who’s father had served on the Somme and who himself fought in Normandy. Named after the great struggle, Verdun, 91 years, had a life long ambition to visit his battlefield namesake. Posing for pictures and introduced to locals wherever we went Verdun became the mascot of the tour. At the museum Verdun presented the curator with a framed medallion rosette which had been sold as a fundraising effort in 1916 in Britain to raise money for the Town of Verdun. The curator gratefully accepted the gift and declared that he had not seen one before.

With glorious sunshine, lunch was taken by the riverside cafes in Verdun, Fort Douamont and the Ossuary providing the historic focus for the afternoon. Some found the stereoscopic picture viewers a little too graphic and the same was said for the collections of bones on display in the crypt windows, but no one was left unmoved by the vast cemetery on top of the hill. Within the Fort, water still dripped into the dark dungeon like passages and rooms but stories of suffering, courage, bravery and “spin” were retold and the Fort once again came alive.

Our last walk took us from the Tunnel Tavannes through the woods where evidence abounds on a vast scale of the battle in 1916. Stopping at large gun positions Julian took the story from politics to Polius and helped build an image of the fighting French. Concrete abri (shelters) were frequently found as were newly collapsed dug out entrances in the hill side. Trench systems some with barbed wire pickets still in situ were criss crossing the forest as the ascent was made passed “London Trench” and the Pamart positions (built in 1917) to Fort Souville. Looking at the vast iron Cupola that housed the 155mm gun gave us time to marvel at the French efforts at Verdun and how immensely strong the positions were, but how vulnerable they soon became without supplies and when outflanked. Verdun nearly claimed another casualty when an eager “Cockney Tone” went ferreting into a pill box entrance and found the lobster pot style dimensions something of a challenge when needing to reverse out of!

The team photograph was a lovely moment at the magnificent Maginot memorial and the final visit was to see Fort Vaux. Atop the Fort with gathering clouds above and in earshot of a visiting group of the German Army, Clive and Julian recounted the story of its valiant defence, fall and recapture.

As ever great group dynamics and a convivial atmosphere were in plentiful supply and the return trip home proved as smooth as the outbound leg. A hugely successful tour to Verdun had ended but provides a blueprint for the future and was a fitting tribute to the fallen. Lest we forget.