Étaples: The Silent City of Sacrifice | WW1’s Largest Commonwealth Cemetery

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On our journey home from the Somme, we stopped at the largest Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in France—Étaples Military Cemetery.

Captured through stunning drone footage from the DJI Flip and ground-level video using the Osmo Action 4, this vlog reveals the true scale of sacrifice in what was once one of the most important logistical and medical hubs on the Western Front.

During the Great War, Étaples became a sprawling depot and medical base—home to the infamous “Bull Ring” training area and no fewer than 11 General Hospitals, 1 Stationary Hospital, and 4 Red Cross Hospitals. Its proximity to Boulogne and the Channel ports made it vital for treating the wounded from across the entire front.

But Étaples was not a safe haven.

This "rear area" was often targeted by German bomber raids—claiming the lives not only of wounded soldiers, but also of nurses who had volunteered, and who now lie here among the thousands.

Among the 11,500+ graves are Victoria Cross recipients, servicemen from across the Commonwealth, and many whose stories reflect the global scale of the war and the heartbreak it left behind.

Join us as we reflect on the meaning of mass sacrifice, explore this silent city from the air, and honour those—men and women—who gave their all.

🕊️ "Not one of them is forgotten."

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