Discovering the Western Front

Discovering the Western Front

The British & Commonwealth Forces 1914 - 1918

Experience ToursMilitary History and Battlefield Tours

5th - 9th August 2024
(5 Days)

Expert Historian : Dr Bruce Cherry

Tour price: £2,150

click here to book

Discovering the Western Front

The British & Commonwealth Forces 1914 - 1918

Experience ToursMilitary History and Battlefield Tours

Your Holiday Essentials

5th - 9th August 2024
(5 Days)

4-star hotels, meals as indicated,

drinks with dinner, all entrance fees,

tour manager and expert historian

throughout, all internal travel,

optional travel from UK.

Activity Level: 2

Expert Historian: Dr Bruce Cherry

Prices:

Standard price: : £1,850

Incl. travel from UK: £2,150
Room sole occupancy supplement: £210
Non-refundable deposit: £350

Booking open

click here to book

Interested in this tour but not ready to book? Register your interest using the link below and we will keep you updated on the progress of the tour.

click here to register your interest

Tour Introduction

This five-day Western Front tour provides an overview of the major events involving British and Empire forces in Northern France and Belgium: it is both an introductory tour for the novice and an essential ‘aide memoire’ to those more familiar with the First World War. At selected key locations, cemeteries, monuments and memorial parks in and around Mons, Ypres, the Somme and Arras you will hear of the human experience, gain an appreciation of the ground, discuss the effectiveness of the tactics and weaponry employed, challenge the strategy and capability of the commanders and question the impact of logistics and morale. Our list of sites is not exhaustive, so if we have missed a particular place that you would like to visit, please ask us if it is possible to be included in the itinerary when you book.

Background

The battlefields of the Somme and Ypres saw the shedding of the blood of almost one million British and Commonwealth soldiers during the First World War. Their names are synonymous with the horrors and sufferings of that conflict and the size of the monuments to the Missing at Thiepval, the Menin Gate and Tyne Cot are testament to the scale of devastation of human life. But the war was not always one of continuous static stalemate. Starting as a war of manoeuvre, the fast-moving German armies inexorably swept through Belgium outflanking all before them until the battles for the Frontiers gradually brought them to a halt and trench warfare ensued as they determined to hold the ground they had won. The next 3 years saw the Allies attempt to break the deadlock through a succession of costly and indecisive battles: Ypres, Loos, Neuve Chapelle and The Somme. But during those years both sides also significantly developed their armies, weaponry and tactics to such an extent that the final months of the war saw armies once more on the move engaging tactics that would develop into the German Blitzkrieg of the Second World War.

Highlights

  • Visit Casteau, where the first British shots of the war were fired on 22 August 1914
  • Spend time at St Symphorien and Tyne Cot Cemeteries
  • Visit war poet Wilfred Owen’s grave at Ors
  • See the great crater of Lochnagar
  • Visit Delville Wood South African Memorial at Longueval
  • See the Australian and Tanks Corps memorials at Pozieres
  • See where the first tank battle was fought on 24 April 1918 at Cachy
  • Visit the Memorial to the Missing at Thiepval
  • Stop at the Menin Gate to watch the emotional Last Post ceremony
  • Visit Langemark German cemetery

What's Included

  • Return Standard Premier Eurostar from London (optional)
  • 4 Star Hotels
  • Buffet breakfast each morning
  • Dinner parties hosted by your expert historian and tour manager
  • Two drinks i,e wine or beer at each dinner and a welcome drink on first evening
  • Dedicated Tour Manager
  • Entrance fees for sites included in itinerary
  • Modern, comfortable, air-conditioned coach
  • Tour information booklet
  • Access to the Cultural Experience app
  • Helpful and friendly travel advice
  • The company of like-minded travelers

"The interaction between Bruce Cherry and the tour group was most enjoyable – Bruce is the best guide we have ever encountered"

Itinerary

Day 1 – Mons 1914

We take a morning Eurostar to Lille and drive to Mons, via Casteau, where the first British shots of the war were fired on 22nd August 1914. Explore the line of the Conde Canal: Nimy railway bridge, where the first VCs were won; Obourg, where the Germans crossed; and St Symphorien Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery where many of those who fought rest. After an absorbing day we will check-in to our hotel in Mons for one night. (D)

Day 2 - Retreat from Mons/The Somme 1916

We will visit war poet Wilfred Owen’s grave at Ors. Owen died just one week before the armistice was declared in 1918. We then explore the rolling fields to the west of Le Cateau where the outnumbered British II Corps held the German 1st Army at bay for 24 hours on 26th August 1914. To the Somme: the great crater of Lochnagar at La Boiselle; the old front line at Mametz; the Delville Wood South African Memorial at Longueval; the Australian and Tanks Corps memorials at Pozieres. At the end of the day, we will check-in to our Amiens hotel for two nights (B,L,D)

Day 3 – The Somme 1916 & 1918

Weather permitting, we will view a magnificent vista of the August 1918 Amiens battlefield from the top of the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux. At Cachy we see where the first tank battle was fought on 24th April 1918. Returning to the events of 1916, we visit the Memorial to the Missing at Thiepval, the preserved trench lines at the Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel and the Sheffield Memorial Park near Serre from where the Pals battalions launched their attacks on 1 July.(B,L,D)

Day 4 – The Artois 1915 – 1917

In addition to the British 1915 Loos battlefield, many of today's sites featured action by Dominion and Colonial troops, including the Canadians at Vimy Ridge; Fromelles, where the newly arrived ANZACs received their 1916 baptism of fire; and Neuve Chapelle where the Indian Army made the major contribution in the 1915 victory against the Germans. Continue to Ypres for one night. We take an early evening walk around the ramparts and visit some of the less well-known sites before stopping at the Menin Gate to watch the emotional Last Post ceremony.(B,L,D)

Day 5 – The Ypres Salient

Our last day will include a visit to Hill 60 with its massive mine craters, Hooge Crater, John McCrae’s medical station at Essex Farm, the gas attacks at Vancouver Corner, Langemark German cemetery, Vancouver Corner, Passchendaele Museum and Tyne Cot cemetery. Drive to Lille for our return Eurostar to London. (B,L)

Recommended Reading List

Dr Bruce Cherry

Dr Bruce Cherry

A former university lecturer with his PhD in military history, Bruce has been guiding on the Western Front since the late 1980s. Indeed for many years he operated a range of First and Second World War tours out of Lille. Amongst other titles, he is the author of ’They Didn't Want to Die Virgins; a study of Sex and Morale on the Western Front'. As an academic, his tours very much emphasise the learning aspect that is to be gained from battlefield touring.

Photo Gallery

  • Vimy Ridge memorial
  • St Symporien Cemetery
  • The Menin Gate
  • Group shot at Wilfred Owens grave
  • Group at Delville Wood
  • German troops advance, 1914
  • German front line, Beaumont Hamel
  • 4th bn royal fusiliers 22 august 1914

Your Holiday Essentials

5th - 9th August 2024
(5 Days)

4-star hotels, meals as indicated,

drinks with dinner, all entrance fees,

tour manager and expert historian

throughout, all internal travel,

optional travel from UK.

Activity Level: 2

Expert Historian: Dr Bruce Cherry

Prices:

Standard price: : £1,850

Incl. travel from UK: £2,150
Room sole occupancy supplement: £210
Non-refundable deposit: £350

Booking open

click here to book

Interested in this tour but not ready to book? Register your interest using the link below and we will keep you updated on the progress of the tour.

click here to register your interest

Photo Gallery

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