| In the Somme in Spring of 1916, the volunteers of Kitchener’s Army had joined the regular and territorial battalions ‘somewhere in France’. Many of the Kitchener battalions were composed of men who had joined up together from their village, workplace or town. They became known as the Pals battalions. General Rawlinson´s 4th Army manned the Somme trenches from Hebuterne to Maricourt; tens of thousand of British soldiers found themselves in the front line for the first time. Their Divisions went into the line alongside Territorials, many of whom had been fighting since 1915 and the regular divisions who by now had few of the originals left, but whose reinforcements were mainly battle hardened. |
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| Full of confidence and supported by a massive artillery barrage, the men of the 4th Army attacked on 1st July along a 14 mile front. The casualties were enormous-60,000 on the first day.
We will walk part of the Somme front line from north to south, studying the ground over which the divisions attacked and considering the reasons for failures and successes. Walking off the road gives you a feel for the ground and the best chance to learn what happened ninety years ago. There is time to hear about the experience of each division, to refer to your maps and to discuss the tactics of the attackers and the strength of the defenders. Battlefield guides John Grimwood and Isobel Swan will accompany you on the Somme War Walks tour. This walking tour studies the Somme attacks of 1st July; future tours in the series cover the July/August battles (II) and the final actions of 1916 plus some of the 1918 advances(III). |
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| Day 1 | (Friday): Depart Victoria Coach Station London 08:30 to take the. Dover - Calais ferry. Drive to the Somme battlefield area and look at the costly Gommecourt diversion. To our hotel near Amiens for dinner and overnight (4 nights). | |
| Day 2 | We walk the line of the attack from the 31st Division at Serre, across the Redan Ridge and down into Beaumont Hamel. Group lunch in Auchonvillers. In the afternoon we walk up the Hawthorn Ridge to the 29th Division´s area of attack and then down into Hamel. | |
| Day 3 | We walk up Mill road, through the area of the 36th division´s successful advance, then across the Thiepval spur and down into Mash Valley. After a picnic lunch we walk to the Lochnagar crater at La Boiselle, with time to consider the mining activity in this area, then across to Fricourt. | |
| Day 4 | We continue our walk from Mametz, past Devonshire copse and the area of the 18th Division´s success, moving on to where the 30th Division´s took all it´s objectives, including the village of Montauban, looking over the area which would prove so difficult to take in the weeks ahead. Lunch break in Arras. Calais - Dover ferry arriving approximately 18:00 Dover and 20:30 London. |
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