On Friday 1st July 2016 it will be exactly 100 years since the Battle of the Somme started and we will be attend a Somme battlefield ceremony to commemorate the start of this bloody affair. Final details of the programmes have yet to be released but it is now fairly certain that it will only be possible to visit one of the ceremonies occurring that day. Indeed access to the Thiepval ceremony will be limited to 8000 tickets, which had to be applied for by public ballot before November 18th 2015. Those who did not win tickets from the ballot will join us at our own or a joint service at either Sheffield Memorial Park or Serre No. 2 Cemetery that day. The remainder of the tour will be spent exploring the 1 July frontline and its poignant cemeteries and evocative remnants. Demand for this or any Somme anniversary tour is bound to be great and therefore you are urged to book early to avoid disappointment. Throughout this tour we will be subject to the constraints of the French Government’s in-force security measures.

The first day of battle of the Somme was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. On 1 July 1916 it suffered nearly 60,000 casualties of which over 21,000 were killed. The battle would continue until the November, by which time the British and Commonwealth casualty figure would rise to more than 400,000. The hoped for breakthrough was never achieved - the maximum gain was an advance of 7 miles, but generally it was insignificant. Consequently, despite the bravery displayed, the battle of the Somme has passed into the British psyche as representative of the horror and futility of the First World War.

Day 1 - Somme – the northern sector. Depart London Victoria Coach Station for the Somme via the Channel Tunnel. We commence our exploration of the northern section with the Gommecourt diversionary attacks, the Pals battalions in and around Serre including Sheffield Memorial Park and Beaumont Hamel with its complete trench systems. Continue to Bethune and check-in to our hotel for three nights.

Day 2 - Anniversary commemorations. Those successful in the public ballot will attend the ceremony at Thiepval under the auspices of the official organisers, which is anticipated to take most of the day. Others will return to Sheffield Memorial Park/Serre Cemetery to attend our own anniversary ceremony (which may require an early start) followed by the opportunity to view the Thiepval ceremony on a big screen in Arras.

Day 3 - Somme – the centre and southern sectors. Returning to Thiepval we gain a splendid view of the attacks on the Schwaben Redoubt. We pass by Sausage and Mash Valleys and visit Lochnagar Crater. Stop at Fort Gibraltar and Pozieres Windmill to discuss the costly Australian attacks of August 1916. From Caterpillar Cemetery we enjoy outstanding vistas and discuss the costly attacks of 14 July ending our day at the South African memorial at Delville Wood.

Day 4 - Fromelles. We look at the bloodiest day in the history of the Australian forces and visit the newest CWGC cemetery built in 2010 to inter those whose remains were recovered in 2009 from a number of mass graves located behind nearby Pheasant Wood. Continue to Folkestone for our Channel Tunnel return crossing, arriving central London late afternoon.