On 25 April 1918, in the heart of the battle-ravaged Somme, Australian soldiers launched a decisive counter-offensive. During the night, they recaptured the town of Villers-Bretonneux, held by German troops, thus saving Amiens from a probable invasion. This day would forever mark the bond between France and Australia. The losses were heavy. Hundreds of young men from the other side of the world fell on this foreign soil, defending a freedom that was not their own.
But from this tragedy came a promise. A promise to remember. A promise to pass on the story.
Today, the Franco-Australian Museum, housed in the Victoria School – rebuilt thanks to Australian donations – tells this unique story. Through letters, objects, photographs and testimonies, it brings to life the memory of the Diggers and the solidarity between two nations separated by everything except the essential: humanity.
Come and discover this emotionally charged place, a witness to a shared past and an unwavering friendship.