Musée de la bataille de Fromelles

About the museum

The museum's origins go back to 1990, when the Association pour le Souvenir de la Bataille de Fromelles set up a first association-run museum in the town hall, where it kept many objects and documents. In 2009, an excavation campaign commissioned by the British and Australian governments unearthed, near the Bois des Faisans, the remains of 250 Australian and British soldiers buried in mass graves. DNA samples then gradually restored their identities.

In 2010, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission built a new cemetery, Pheasant Wood Military Cemetery, to bury these men in individual graves. The Communauté de communes des Weppes then launched a project for a museum telling the story of the battle and the recent discoveries, with financial support from several partners, including the Australian government.

The museum opened on July 18, 2014. Its architect, David Serero, designed a building suspended between sky and earth that evokes the German blockhouses in the Weppes landscape. Today the collections of the association museum are joined by the individual stories of the soldiers buried at Pheasant Wood.

The permanent exhibition traces the course of the battle, the soldiers' living conditions, the archaeological research and the identification of the missing. Every year, a ceremony is held in Fromelles on the eve of ANZAC Day, April 24, and another at Pheasant Wood cemetery on the anniversary of the battle.

Highlights

• Account of the battle of July 19 and 20, 1916
• 2009 archaeological excavations and identification of 250 soldiers
• Memorial space devoted to individual fates
• Audio guide in four languages with audio description
• Architect-designed building evoking blockhouses

Permanent exhibition

• De l'ombre à la lumière – Permanent exhibition on the battle of Fromelles, the 2009 archaeological excavations, the identification of soldiers and the memorial space.

Founded

2014

Operated by

Métropole européenne de Lille

Visitors per year

approx. 10,710

Admission & discounts

Audio guide included in the ticket. Also free, with proof, for recipients of social minimum benefits (minima sociaux), civilian and military disabled persons, holders of the C'ART or a City Pass, ICOM members, guides, teachers, journalists, members of the FWTM association and bus drivers. Payment by cash, bank card, check, chèques vacances and Pass Culture.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

Single-story building, fully accessible, Tourisme & Handicap label. Wheelchairs and seat-canes available on loan, magnetic loops for audio guides, tablets with videos in French Sign Language (LSF), transcription booklet, Easy-to-Read booklet (FALC), objects to handle and a sensory workshop by reservation. Guided tours interpreted into sign language several times a year.

Kids & families

Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 6+

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Free activity guide at reception for children from age 6 (in French and English), with a story, games and activities. Workshops and investigation-style visits for families depending on the calendar. Strollers are allowed in the museum; baby changing tables are in the restrooms.

Getting there & parking

By car: A25 from Lille, exit 7, then N41 and follow the signs to Fromelles; from Béthune or Lens, N41, exit M222 (Herlies). Bike rack with 5 spaces; the museum holds the Accueil Vélo label. Lille is 20 km away.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi with open access (MEL_Guest network). Relaxation area in the lobby with drink and snack vending machines, water fountain and reading corner. Picnic tables outside. Bookshop; items sold on site only. Microwave available on request.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit