Delville Wood

From the visitor car park, the walk first heads towards Delville Wood Cemetery, directly opposite the memorial. The cemetery contains 5,523 First World War burials and commemorations. Many belong to unidentified servicemen killed during the fighting in and around Delville Wood.

Across the road stands the South African National Memorial. Delville Wood holds a special place in South African remembrance because of the fighting in July 1916. The South African Infantry Brigade held its position here for several days while artillery fire almost completely destroyed the wood.

On the way to the museum, you also pass the memorial wall. It bears the names of 13,676 South Africans who died during the First World War, regardless of their background or skin colour.

Behind the memorial stands the Delville Wood Commemorative Museum. Admission is free, although donations are welcome. The museum covers the fighting at Delville Wood as well as the wider history of South African military service.

Inside are historical photographs, uniforms, weapons, medals and objects recovered from the battlefield. The South African Native Labour Corps is also represented. For me, the museum is an important part of the visit. It gives you far more context before you continue through the wood.

Farther on stands the famous Last Tree. This hornbeam is regarded as the only living tree from the original Delville Wood to have survived the fighting of 1916.

Beyond the Last Tree comes, for me, the most powerful part of the walk. Narrow paths cross ground where old trenches, shell craters and other irregularities are still visible. This is not a reconstruction, but the historic battlefield itself.

Always stay on the established paths. Delville Wood is a place of remembrance and unexploded ammunition may still remain in the ground. The woodland vegetation also needs to be protected.

In spring, large parts of the wood are covered in bluebells. That was why I returned. I had arrived slightly too late the previous year, so this time I came back about a week earlier.

To the edge of the wood

The narrow paths continue towards the edge of Delville Wood. From there, you can look out across the surrounding Somme landscape. High Wood lies to the west and, in clear conditions, the area around Flers can also be seen farther north.

I spotted several roe deer between the trees during my walk, although I never managed to photograph one.

The route then follows the woodland paths back towards the memorial and visitor car park. The walk is short, but allow more time than the distance suggests. The cemetery, museum and wood itself are all worth exploring at a slower pace.