Wellington Quarries and a relaxing day in Arras

Day 8 was a shorter day, which we all needed after the previous heavy days. We spent the morning visiting the Wellington Quarries in the nearby town of Arras. The Wellington Quarries was the deep subterranean city built by allied troops, New Zealanders among the forefront. The different tunnels have names like London, Wellington, Auckland, etc. that the diggers named as they cleared or expanded the lines. We had an excellent guide, who was very engaged with us, and very anxious that we should understand what he assumed to be minimal english- in reality, he spoke very well and clearly to us, and his desire to be understood translated very obviously. Though he had clearly done the tour many, many times, he was attentive to us and our questions, and took time to point out many interesting things. Maple leaves carved into the stone, names, graffiti, songs, jokes. The guide told us he had something to show us that the boys might like, and, sure enough, it was a distinctly well detailed and voluptuous nude carved into the stone of one of the runs. The guide insisted it was an english nude, not a french one. We asked him to explain why, but he refused to share all his secrets. Perhaps we’ll never know. 

Quarry Tunnel

This time with track and cart.

After our visit through the tunnels, we were served coffee in one of the meeting/museum rooms in an outbuilding, and it was good to sit and warm up after the chilly underground tour.

Engraving Machine

We hopped back on the bus, and arrived a few minutes later at the France head office of the CWCG, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. We were given safety vests, and over the course of perhaps another hour and a half taken around all the many workshops onsite. We learned about the history and mission of the operation, and saw the engraving machines where they put the names, crests, and epitaphs on the stones. We learned about the different types of stones they use, and how they need to match each original cemetery for when they replace the stones, crosses, and do repairs on the walls and monuments. They arrange for and maintain every commonwealth cemetery in Europe and around the world, and maintain and repair many other by contract. They purchase and cut the stone, engrave it, purchase and carve the wooden fixtures such as doors, benches, window frames, all exactly to reproduce the original. They even have a metal workshop for the registry boxes and hinges and decals. It was a huge property, and the middle courtyard all filled with stacked pallets of blank headstones will forever change how I see cemeteries. We thanked our guide, a large Scottish man with a truly intimidating whiskey-and-cigar voice, who had given us such a fascinating and in depth tour. 

We had an hour and a half to ourselves to have lunch in the main square at Arras. It’s a beautiful city, with cobbled streets and dutch influence evident in the curved and pointed rooftops and hatched windows. A few of us went for crepes, a few others went for quiche, and I found a nice charcuterie platter with a half baguette. We met up again at the tourism centre in the old bell tower, where we met with one last interesting interview: the architect who excavated the wellington quarries. He’s a local expert who is also called in when bodies and war sites are found. He spent about a half hour telling us about the area, the quarries, and the medieval history beneath the city, as well as answering our questions about his work and about the sites we’d seen. It was brief, but very interesting, and a good end to even a short day. We were able to be back in Gouy-Sous-Bellone by about 4:00pm, so were were able to complete our second round of interviews, pack up early, and enjoy our last meal at Ferme de la Sensee. It was steak au poivre, very rare, with dark gravy and vegetables.

So very delicious.

 It was an early morning, leaving by 8:00am, to bring us into Belgium by noon the next day. We had completed Dieppe, Vimy, and the Somme. It was time for Ypres, and Flanders Fields.