Thiepval stands some 490 feet above sea level, high above the valley of the river Ancre in Picardy. It suffered during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870–71, like many Somme villages, and its church was burnt down.
By 1914 Thiepval was once again a peaceful farming community with a new church, 60 houses and a population of 200.
Traditionally the villagers worked for the Comte de Bréda whose château, built in 1725, dominated the village.
Comte Jacques de Bréda, the last of the family, sold the château in 1912 to Henri Portier, a retired army officer from Paris. After renovating it, Portier moved in only weeks before the start of the First World War.
When the Germans entered Thiepval on 26 September 1914, Portier had already abandoned the chateau. Thiepval village was utterly destroyed during the war. The château was never rebuilt, being replaced instead by a farm.
This exhibition is presented by the Conseil General de la Somme and l'Historial de la Grande Guerre, Péronne, with the assistance of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Curated by Michael Barker, on behalf of the Lutyens Trust, with Nigel Steel, Principal Historian, Imperial War Museums.
Graphic design by Minal Tattersfield & Partners, structure design by Cube3 Exhibitions
