IN AUGUST 1916, Charles Ponting, a 22-year-old private in the Australian infantry from Launceston, Tasmania, was killed on the Somme. Eighty-nine years later, Ricky Ponting, the 30-year-old Australia cricket captain, also from Launceston, laid a wreath at the Australian national memorial in Flanders to honour his namesake and other compatriots who died in France in the First World War.

Whether the private and the captain are related is not known — “I’m not aware of any relatives dying in France,” Ponting said — but he will have seen plenty of familiar names inscribed on the memorial at Villers-Bretonneux, ten miles from Amiens. Private Ponting’s name is for ever united in stone with a Gilchrist, a Gillespie, a Hayden, a McGrath and a Warne — all Australian soldiers who lost their lives in France.

The present Australia team contains names that will resonate for as long as people follow cricket, but yesterday this band of brothers began their Ashes summer by remembering the men whom they insist are the real Australian heroes. In doing so they followed in the footsteps of Steve Waugh’s 2001 Ashes squad, who visited Gallipoli, where 9,000 Australians were killed, before travelling to England. A team that is so keen to embrace technology and modern techniques to gain the upper hand knows that the age-old virtue of camaraderie is most important.

At a cemetery outside the town, the players took time to wander up and down the rows of pristine gravestones. Some tried to find the markers of relatives — Mike Hussey’s great-grandfather died at the Somme and a relative of Jason Gillespie’s wife is also supposed to be buried there, although he could not find the grave.

Only Adam Gilchrist, the vice-captain and wicketkeeper, lingered by the coach taking in the entire spectacle of the cemetery and the stillness of the air for a full 15 minutes before joining his compatriots. Later he read the Ode of Remembrance — “They shall not grow old” — in front of his team. The grimness of the weather added to the sombre mood; it was the sort of day when the grey sky seemed to hug the ground. The only splashes of colour were the poppies along the grass verges.

“The Anzac spirit means fighting together and looking after your mate,” Waugh had said at Gallipoli four years ago. That sentiment was apparent again yesterday, the 61st anniversary of D-Day. “We learnt a lot about the Australians who have gone before and served our country in a way we never have,” Ponting said. “It’s not about team bonding, we’re pretty close already. It is a great life experience for each of us.”

Shane Watson, the 23-year-old all-rounder who is making his first tour to England, said: “It makes you realise how much pride you have in your country.”

Ponting laid a wreath of yellow flowers on the steps of the memorial, which commemorates the 10,700 Australians who died in the First World War and who have no known graves. It was unveiled by George VI in 1938. A year later, Australia would again answer Britain’s call to arms. Some 60,000 Australians died in the First World War, a further 40,000 died a generation later.

“Both my grandfathers fought in the Second World War,” Glenn McGrath, the fast bowler, said. “So I know a bit more about that war. They brought back bombshells and parts of wrecked planes that I used to play with.”

The town of Villers-Bretonneux has clearly taken Australia to heart. It is twinned with Robinvale, a town in Victoria named after an Australian who died at the Somme, and cafés throughout the area display kangaroos and the Australian flag. Olivier Dubaut, the president of the French cricket association, had lunch with the team to promote the 1,000 club cricketers in France, whose patron is Richie Benaud, the former Australia captain.

When asked who he wanted to win the Ashes, Dubaut paused for diplomacy, then said: “Well, certainly not England.”

At the Victoria School, built with funds donated by Australian children, the French youngsters who had been taught to sing Waltzing Matilda mobbed the players for autographs. “This is as much support as we’ll get all tour,” Ponting said.

In the playground of the school is a large sign that reads “Do Not Forget Australia”. After this visit, the Australia team are not likely to forget Flanders, either.

VISITING THE SCENE OF BATTLE

The French town of Villers-Bretonneux is the second-most visited battlefield by Australians after Gallipoli, yet it was much more of a military success. The German offensive towards Amiens, which began in March 1918, was stopped when a force of “Australian and English County troops”, to quote The Times of April 26, liberated the town. The Allied attack began on the evening of April 24. The Germans were using tanks in combat for the first time and outnumbered the Australians by ten to one, but the battle was over by the morning — three years to the day after the start of the Gallipoli operation. Some 1,200 Australians died there.