The battles on the Western Front, fought by the men of Britain and the Commonwealth in the Great War 1914 - 1918, have an important place in our heritage. By the standards of the early 21st Century, the events of ninety years ago are often hard to comprehend. So much suffering and sacrifice, such bravery and endurance in horrific conditions. The citizen armies learned new skills, supported each other in their difficult and dangerous tasks and through their sense of duty and comradeship have left us a legacy of which we can be proud.

Many mistakes were made, many bitter lessons learned and the hundreds of thousands of graves and names on memorials bear witness to the scale of the war in human lives.

In this, our introductory tour, we take you to some of the key areas of the Western Front. Our guides take you to many places on the battlefields, explaining the actions, the strategy and the tactics, so that you get a feeling for ground and history that will add immeasurably to what you have read. You will hear about the politics and the home front; the men who fought, from generals to privates, VC winners and countless unknown ‘ordinary’ men.

Nearly every family in Britain and the Commonwealth can trace a relative who served in the Great War. Let us know if you would like to arrange to visit a cemetery or memorial in the areas we visit – we can arrange for you to lay a poppy spray or a cross in remembrance. Special visits may alter the order of the itinerary below but all the places will be visited.

ITINERARY
Day 1 (Friday): Depart Victoria Coach Station, London 08:45. Dover – Calais ferry. On our drive to Ypres we discuss the outbreak of war in 1914. We look at the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the First Battle of Ypres and the formation of the Salient. To Hotel Ariane for 2 nights with dinner.
Day 2: 1915: the first battle of Ypres, including Essex Farm (John McCrae’s dressing station) Pilkem Ridge and Vancouver Corner, the area of the Gas attack. We visit the German Cemetery at Langemarck and drive across the battle areas to the Menin Road and Sanctuary Wood Museum. Lunch break in Ypres, with time to visit the Flanders Fields Museum, St. Georges Memorial Church and find lunch in one of the many cafes around the square. In the afternoon we visit Hill 60 where the evidence of the destruction still remains, then consider the infamous Third battle of Ypres, (often known just as ‘Passchendaele” driving up the Gravenstafel/Broodseinde ridge to the great CWGC Cemetery and Memorial at Tyne Cot. We return to Ypres along the Passchendaele ridge and will be at the Menin Gate to hear the Last Post before returning to our hotel for dinner.
Day 3: This morning we drive south along the Messines Ridge, where we discuss the successful attack of June 1917 which preceded Third Ypres. Then on through the battlefields of 1915 - Neuve Chapelle and Loos to Vimy Ridge, where we see the great Canadian Memorial, the trench lines and cratered ground. Lunch break in Arras. Battle areas of 1st July 1916; Serre and Redan Ridge; the Sunken Road; Newfoundland Park and the Lochnagar Crater at La Boiselle. Dinner and overnight, Assevillers.
Day 4: Battle areas including 1st July – Maricourt and Montauban; the later attacks on High Wood, Delville Wood, Pozieres and the Ancre heights. We visit the Anglo-French Memorial to the missing of the Somme, high on the ridge at Thiepval. Group lunch in Auchonvillers before driving north. Calais – Dover ferry. Arrive approx 18:45 Dover and 20:30 London.