A couple of days viewing the war graves of the Somme.
There are many graveyards scattered over the area, some with just a handful of graves.
They are all beautifully maintained and feel like the most peaceful places on earth.  I have never been more aware of birdsong.

The London cemetery, with its extension, is the largest.  Although many are buried in the ground where they fell, a great many of the smallest collections of graves were moved to the larger sites, to make maintenance feasible.
It was decided that all the commonwealth graves would be marked with the same design of stone and all ranks would be equal in death.

There is as much information as was available on the grave, with the insignia of the regiment.
Where headstones are away for repair or replacement, the graves are still marked with a plaque.

In cases where a group of bodies were impossible to tell apart,
the pieces share the same grave.                                                        

The famous poppies thrive here and all the graves are beautifully planted with a variety of flowers.

In all the commonwealth sites we visited, we saw only these two German graves.   Note the pointy top.

Longueval.

Ovillers.

Pozieres.

Serre Road.

A massive monument to the British fallen overlooks the area at Thiepval.  It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and is particularly dedicated to those who fell and do not have their own grave.  Massive plaques are carved with the names of those lost in battle.