Bray-sur-Somme Eglise (church)
Bray is another lovely town resting peacefully among the rolling farmlands on the northern side of the Somme River. Most of the town survived the fighting intact and after being taken by the 3rd Division in August 1918 was made Australian base of operations for the push eastward.
Churches were the natural centre of towns and had the space to cater as hospitals for wounded. This church has provided comfort and first aid for young German, then British and lastly for Australian wounded and dying.
The structure attracted me from the first look – it bears the “wounds of war” around the apse and the tower, steeple and roof are post-war repairs. It is a reminder for the townsfolk, as are a number of cemeteries in the area, including a German one, of that terrible time.