Froissy - Dompierre Railway, 2012

During the First World War, both sides constructed extensive 60cm light railways to carry vast quanitities of ammunition and supplies about 7 - 10 miles from the main railheads (which had to be kept out of artillery range) to the Western Front. The Froissy - Dompierre Light Railway (CFCD) is a 7km section of a 60cm line built by the French Army in 1916. It is just west of Peronne, and runs from Froissy alongside the River Somme to Cappy and then, via two zig-zags, to Dompierre on the Santerre plateau. After the 1918 Armistice it, like many other 60cm lines, helped with reconstruction, and was then put to industiral use. It served a sugar refinery at Dompierre for many years, finally closing in 1972 and becoming a heritage line. Here are 48 photos taken during the spring steam gala.

Memorial to 72,000 British soldiers missing after the Somme battles of 1916 - 1918, Thiepval, Sun 27 May 2012 1. The names of the missing are inscribed on the white panels; the doorways at the base of the memorial give some idea of their size.

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Memorial to 72,000 British soldiers missing after the Somme battles of 1916 - 1918, Thiepval, Sun 27 May 2012 1. The names of the missing are inscribed on the white panels; the doorways at the base of the memorial give some idea of their size.

Froissy Dompierre Railway Petit train de la Haute Somme