30 minutes from Arras in the south of Artois, Bullecourt is a labelled Village Patrimoine © in Pas-de-Calais and is undoubtedly better known in Australia then in France! The theatre of the Battles of Arras in the spring of 1917 and classified as a red zone (i.e. “completely devastated”) after the War, this village can be discovered on a trail combining countryside and remembrance sites.

At the centre of the Battles of Arras

The tone is set even as you enter the village. On a sign reading “Welcome to Bullecourt”, a Digger (as the Australian troops were known) and a British Tommy greet the many English and Australian tourists who come to see this small patch of land where so many of their loved ones perished.  And the village café is called… Le Canberra.

Bullecourt is to the Australians what Verdun is to the French, or Vimy to the Canadians. An essential remembrance site where more than 10,000 Australian and 7,000 British soldiers fell during the two battles which raged in April and May 1917. 

Modern scenography, films and artefacts of all kinds – weapons as well as personal effects and photographs – make this museum an essential visit for an understanding of the First World War as it played out in Bullecourt.

A peaceful and leafy village

Although Bullecourt is a remembrance site, it is also a pleasant village for a walk in the midst of the Artois countryside. Starting at the village square, the “Sentier des Autraliens” is a walking trail that introduces you to its charms, with the battlefield as the common thread.

Mairie de Bullecourt à la reconstruction

The architecture of Billancourt is characteristic of the great post-War reconstruction, including the town hall and its very pretty Art Deco facade, its typical Artois farms and the village church with its sandstone bell tower porch. On the square, the French Remembrance monument, built out of the remains of a tank track, recalls the sacrifice of the troops of the British Empire and is a reminder of one of the very first tank deployments in history.

A digger deep in the countryside

Cérémonie de l’ANZAC Day

The architecture of Billancourt is characteristic of the great post-War reconstruction, including the town hall and its very pretty Art Deco facade, its typical Artois farms and the village church with its sandstone bell tower porch. On the square, the French Remembrance monument, built out of the remains of a tank track, recalls the sacrifice of the troops of the British Empire and is a reminder of one of the very first tank deployments in history.

Bullecourt in practice

  • The Village Patrimoine© trail takes you from the museum to the village square (church and town hall) and to the Little Cross and the Digger (Rue des Australiens).
  • On foot: the “Sentier Historique des Australiens”, a walking trail starting in Bullecourt. Two loops are possible: 8 km (2 hours) or 13 km (3 hours 15 minutes)
  • Place to stay : Le Gîte A l’Orée du Bois https://www.gites-de-france-nord-pas-de-calais.fr/location-vacances-Gite-A-L-oree-Du-Bois-a-Bullecourt-62G1530.html And the Bed and Breakfasts La Nicolinière https://www.gites-de-france-pas-de-calais.fr/locationvacances-chambre-d-hotes-a-bullecourt-62G565.html
  • Bistrot Le Canberra in the village centre.