My Husband wants to visit the war graves in France, which one's would you recommend he visits?

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WISE OWL

I also live in Kent. My father is buried in the small military section of the cemetery up the hill in Wimereux five minutes away from Boulogne by car on the coastal road.
However from Kent the largest war cemetery is on the coastal road to Etaples by the bay of the Canche. You can reach it by car in less than an hour from Boulogne or Calais. We have been known to take a day trip to Le Touquet and stop on the way. It is huge, beautiful ,serene and arranged in sections amongst pines. There is even one single Chinese grave in a quiet corner...You follow the motorway from Calais to Boulogne then turn onto the coastal road.
You could fly to Le Touquet from Lydd but then you would need to hire a car.
Alternatively, if you are driving, you could stay on the autoroute from Calais to Paris and turn off to the huge cemetery at Notre Dame de Lorette which has graves of many nationalities, a quaint memorial to unknown soldiers and an impressive basilica. Then you could drive on to near-by Wimy which has the Canadian and American graves around a tall and striking memorial. There are tunnels to be visited near Arras with war memorabilia and huge craters made by bombs. The journey is approximately one hour and a half from Calais by car. With a good map you cannot miss any of these sites but remember there are tolls on the French motorways.
As mentioned in other posts above mine there are enormous cemeteries in Normandy and the remains of the second world war landing vessels and apparatus. There is a very moving American cemetery with marble crosses on Christian graves and a star for Jewish ones. Sadly the most moving of all cemeteries is the German one. We were horrified to see that many of the dead there were as young as sixteen, just young kids dragged into a war not of their making obeying the orders of a monstruous leader. However this is a fairly long journey from Kent.
I hope this is helpful. Enjoy your trip.

Robert E

If it's WW1 your after then the ones already mentioned are good but i would also include Tyne Cot the largest British cemetry also visit Ypres and walk round the Menin Gate and return again at 8.00 o'clock to listen to the last post being played by a bugler, very moving, also worth a visit is to the German cemetry at Landemarcke.

SunnyDays

Thiepval, its where my great grandfather is mentioned as war dead on the huge memorial there

crispy

Depends if he wants to visit first world war or second world war.
nearest to Calais will be the first world war ones, find many around the Somme.
For WW2, head to Normandy, near the landing beaches

MARK M

Take a ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre.. hire a car or take your own (you will need it!) then drive to Caen.. From there you can visit many places like Honfleur and Bayeaux and an awful lot of war graves.. along the coast there are many places of interest... you will enjoy.. at Bayeaux there is a war museum too..

savs

Don't go dover-calais, but rather take the boat from Portsmouth and go directly to Normandy, where the graveyards are.

A very interesting trip.

I would really recommend buying and reading this book first, it will prepare him for all the best sights.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mrs-Holts-Battlefield-Normandy-Landing-Beaches/dp/0850526620

diemartel65

There is a Tour that will take him to all the proper ones and tell him about the events that happened there. It is based in the US, but you can surely find something online that can help you out. I highly suggest this form since it will cover everything....

satyricon_uk

I have been to two - in Ypres (which is the French spelling, Ipres is the Belgian) and in Boulogne (actually Boulogne-sur-Mer). They are both about the same distance from Calais - about 40 or 50 miles.

Boulogne has more actual graveyards I think, and they range from the small, quiet ones (the Eastern Cemetary) to the large, dramatic ones.

You can find good descriptions of each, and directions to them, on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site.

Whichever ones you go to, remember to sign the vistor's book there. I always take a flower as well and place it on one of the graves. They are VERY moving places.

alan

if you go to http://www.silentcities.co.uk most of the graves sites can be found on the website

minerva

he should definitely visit the Somme..see yahoo maps

shoe s

i dunno know but i went to luxembourg and saw the grave of general patton very impressive

JOHN H

i would suggest you wright or phone the imperial war museum in London as they will have all the information you require for your trip

ANF

Take a ferry to Normandy in France and there are plenty to visit and a war museum.

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