AMIENS
Following the end of the First World War, the Australian government built thousands of new homes for returning soldiers and their families. In Hampton, 67 acres of farmland was carved off the Castlefield Estate to create a neighbourhood of close to 300 Californian Bungalow houses – one of the largest war service home developments in Victoria.
In streets named after battlefields on the Eastern and Western Fronts, veterans and war widows set down new roots, raised families and helped to build our Hampton community.
Amiens Street: In August 1918, Allied forces launched a surprise attack on the German Army near the town of Amiens in northern France. The Australian Corps, led by General John Monash, spearheaded the attack. So quickly were the Germans overrun, some officers were still eating breakfast when they were captured.
The victory marked a major turning point in the war and earned Monash a knighthood.
Potential images
Australian soldiers pose with a German high velocity gun captured during the Battle of Amiens, 14 August 1918. [AWM E02898]
18 pounder guns of the 6th Battery of Australian Field Artillery in action on the morning of the offensive, 8 August 1918. [AWM E02926]
Two Australian soldiers enjoying a rest in a field of wildflowers, north of Amiens, 20 June 1918. [AWM E02642]
Harold Septimus Power (1930), 8th August 1918. Oil on canvas. Depicts infantrymen of the 3rd and 4th Australian Divisions moving towards the front line, supported by horse-drawn artillery and two British tanks. [AWM ART12208]
The main street of Amiens, circa 1917, after bombardment by the Germans. [AWM H02108]