Avril Williams' Guesthouse is situated in the heart of the Northern sector of the Somme Campaign of 1916 and the area saw intense fighting again in 1918 during Die Kaiserslacht.  In fact, the German advance in 1918 was stopped only a short distance away and, as a result, the village was not occupied by the Germans again until the Second World War.

Avril's Trench

The Guesthouse was once a farm house, which was rebuilt in 1923 after being destroyed during World War One.  During the war, the buildings in the village were linked by communication trenches, which formed part of a major trench system leading into and out of the front line.  Archaeologists have been successful in finding and excavating parts of these trenches, and it is hoped that future excavations will be as successful. The excavated trench leads into the cellar and then out again at the other end, offering a fascinating insight into what conditions might once have been.

Clearly the current 'Ocean Villas experience' can do no more than offer an insight (we don't allow shelling or gassing these days) and we like to think that you will find the experience far more congenial than our forefathers did, but at the same time we hope you will find the trench and cellar to be evocative and reasonably authentic.

Avril offers tours of the trench and cellar (free to guests) and is also available as a tour guide.  Guests may view the trench at their leisure, but, in order to prevent personal injury or erosion, please make certain that you enter the trench only via the paths.

Trenches can be dangerous - you enter at your own risk and are strongly advised not to let children play near them.

  View some photographs of the trench.

The Cellar

Auchonvillers was reduced to rubble by artillery fire during the Great War, but the cellars, linked as described above, survived and were put to good use by French, British, Empire and Commonwealth soldiers, both as places of relative safety in which to rest, and as operational centres.

Avril's cellar has a fascinating history, having been put to many uses during its military incarnation, including as a possible holding cell for James Crozier who was shot at dawn in neighbouring Mailly-Maillet, and as a strecher-bearer's post and aid station. The cellar, and Avril, were featured in an episode of Professor Richard Holmes' BBC television series, 'War Walks'.

Avril offers tours of the trench and cellar (free to guests) and is also available as a tour guide.  Guests may view the trench at their leisure, but, in order to prevent personal injury or erosion, please make certain that you enter the trench only via the path.

Auchonvillers

During the Great War Auchonvillers was a 'front-line' village which was occupied and fortified by the French Army in 1914 before being taken over by British and Commonwealth soldiers who manned the village until the end of the War.

As a fortified village, every cellar in Auchonvillers was made use of and a system of communication trenches linked the cellars to each other and to the support and front line trenches.  Following a near catastrophe when her floor started to collapse Avril found not only the cellar but what seemed to be a trench.  Archaeologists confirmed the anomaly was indeed a trench and excavation began on what is now the trench referred to to above.

Beaumont Hamel

This small village was an objective for the first day of the 'Battle of the Somme' on 1st July 1916, but was not liberated until November 1916. The area between Auchonvillers and Beaumont is quiet now but during 1916 it was a dreadful place with plenty of opportunity for all manner of 'glorious' death and mutilation."'Beaumont Hamel' is a name I can remember from sometime so long ago that it seems as though I have always known it; that perhaps I was born already knowing it. It goes beyond consciousness into simply knowing."

In July 1916 this area was held by the regular 29th Division, fresh from Gallipoli, and it was they who attacked Beaumont across the gentle fields just outside Auchonvillers. In November it was the turn of the 'Jocks' of the 51st Highland Division to assault Beaumont and, utilising lessons learnt from earlier failure, they were successful.

Hawthorn Ridge

Immediately before Beaumont, acting as a brooding, silent, witness to these brave men, is the mine crater on Hawthorn Ridge - 'Hell's Maw'.  There are actually two craters here; the original from 1st July and the second from 13th November 1916, but you have to get to the bottom before the 'figure of eight' caused by the explosions can be discerned.