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2nd Division Memorial
Australia
Statue by Australian sculptor Stanley James Hammond
For Australian 2nd Division
Established	1971
Location	49°56′50″N 2°55′57″E / 49.94722°N 2.93250°E / 49.94722; 2.93250 (Mont Saint-Quentin) Mont Saint-Quentin, Péronne, Somme, France
Designed by	Stanley James Hammond

Mont Saint-Quentin Australian war memorial is an Australian First World War memorial located at Mont Saint-Quentin in Péronne, France. This monument was erected in honor of the fallen soldiers of the Australian Second Division during the Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin. It is one of five commemorative monuments initiated by the soldiers of the division. The memorial is located on the Bapaume-Péronne road (D1017).

Historical Background

The Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin was a part of the Allied Hundred Days Offensive. The Australian Corps crossed the Somme River on the night of 31 August 1918 and attacked the German lines at Mont Saint-Quentin. The position was only 100 meters high but was a key German defensive position because it overlooked the Somme River and served as an ideal observation post, and guarded the north and western approaches to Péronne. The British Fourth Army's commander, General Henry Rawlinson, described the Australian advances of 31 August – 4 September as a great military achievement. In three days the Australians endured 3,000 casualties but ensured a general German withdrawal eastwards back to the Hindenburg Line.

Original memorial

The original monument consisted of a pedestaled sculpture, created by Charles Web Gilbert, representing an Australian soldier thrusting his bayonet into a German eagle. The pedestal has bronze bas-reliefs created by May Butler-George that depict soldiers in combat, namely men hauling and pushing a gun and men advancing with bayoneted rifles and hand grenades. The memorial was inaugurated on August 30, 1925 and unveiled by Ferdinand Foch. In 1940, German soldiers destroyed the sculpture most probably due to the anti-German imagery.

Present memorial

The plinth was not destroyed by German soldiers in 1940 and lay empty until 1971. A replacement sculpture titled Digger by Australian sculptor Stanley James Hammond was erected in 1971. The present-day sculpture is of a slouch-hatted Australian soldier with a slightly bowed head. The pedestal still includes the bronze bas-reliefs created by May Butler-George.

See also

• List of Australian military memorials
• V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial
• Villers–Bretonneux Australian National Memorial
• Military Memorials of National Significance in Australia

References

1. "The Battle for Mont St Quentin: 31 August 1918 – 3 September 1918". Penrith City Council Library Service, Penrith City Council. 2005. Archived from the original on 8 September 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
2. "Mont Saint Quentin and Péronne". Australian Victories: 1918 Australians in France. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 7 August 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
3. "Mont St Quentin – Péronne 31 August – 2 September 1918". Australians on the Western Front 1914–1918. Australian Government: Department of Veterans' Affairs together with Board of Studies NSW. 12 February 2008. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
4. ^ "Mont St Quentin, 2nd Australian Division Memorial". Australians on the Western Front 1914-1918. Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs. 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2007.
5. Mat, McLachlan (2010). Walking with the ANZACS: The Authoritative Guide to the Australian Battlefields of the Western Front. Hachette Australia. ISBN 9780733626036.
6. ^ Pedersen, Peter (2012). ANZACS on the Western Front: The Australian War Memorial Battlefield Guide. Wiley. ISBN 9781118238325.

External links

• History of the memorial (Australians on the Western Front) - includes a photograph of the current memorial

• Australian military memorials
• World War I memorials in France
• Monuments and memorials in Somme (department)
• Australian diaspora in Europe
• Buildings and structures completed in 1971