Yesterday the Tour visited the Australian Fourth Division Memorial at Bellenglise. This memorial is the least visited by Australians due to its location which is east of the main battlefields and hard to get to. The memorial itself is identical to the 1st, 3rd and 5th Division memorials (the 2nd is the only different one at Mont St Quentin) and records the battle honours of the division. Situated in ploughed fields, up a stony track, the memorial was all the more poignant for its isolation and loneliness. We stopped to reflect and remember those men in the 4th, some from Western Australia (32nd, 48th and 51st battalions). Courtney Salmeri read a poem and we paused for a minutes silence. I have been made extremely proud by the way in which the students have conducted themselves in all aspects of the tour so far. It was significant to be told by our guide, Mr Colin Gillard, that in the 32 years he has been taking tours on the battlefields, Collie Senior High School was the first school group to ever visit the 4th. This will in the future continue to be a regular feature of the Collie SHS Anzac Tour. Lest We Forget!
Ed Croft
Teacher-in- charge.
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