Bonnay Under German Air Attack.

The village of Bonnay was briefly occupied by the Germans in 1914 following the French army’s retreat. After the German retreat in September, the fighting shifted towards Albert. Bonnay remained behind the lines for the remainder of the war.
After 1915, the area came under British control and the village was used as a rest area. To make it more difficult for German aircraft to spot it, camouflage netting was strung across the village.

In April 1918, under pressure from the Germans, the village was once again under threat and came under German bombardment. The house on the left of the photograph served as the headquarters of the ‘13th Australian Field Artillery Brigade’. It was men from this unit who shot down the famous Red Baron on 21 April 1918.

These artillery gun carriages, photographed in the courtyard of a farm in Bonnay, belong to the 5th Artillery Division. Privates Bob Buie and Snowy Evans, who serve in this unit, were credited with the shot that brought down the ‘Red Baron’. His body is said to have been kept in the commune before being taken away by the Royal Australian Air Force.