| 10 - 13 November 2008 | ||
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Ypres - Wipers! 90 years after the first world war's guns finally fell silent; we attend the commemorative events of Armistice Day on the 11th November 2008. The veterans are now few on parade, but the people still come, the families, the school children, the historians and the curious.
75 years ago Private Harold Lang's family came on a pilgrimage to Ypres. We follow in their footsteps as a tribute to the 5,000 men a month who died here and their families left to grieve at home. Winston Churchill wanted Ypres to remain as a memorial for all time, but the people came back. We examine the reconstruction of Ypres town and the ongoing work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). We will visit some of the evocative First World War battlefield sites, memorials, cemeteries, museums and pay our respects to those 'who shall not grow old'. To be at the Menin Gate on Armistice Day is a moving and uplifting experience and will be a fitting high point of this Commemorative First World War Armistice Day 2008 tour to 'The Immortal Salient'. Your guide on this tour is John Grimwood. |  |
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| Day 1 | (Monday): Depart Victoria Coach Station London 0845. Dover-Calais ferry. The 1922 Pilgrimage at Lijsenthoek. Orientation in Ypres. The Last Post at the Menin Gate. Dinner and overnight in Ypres (3 nights). | |
| Day 2 | Armistice Day in Ypres 11th November 2008. We will attend commemorative ceremonies at the Menin Gate and Tyne Cot. There will also be time to discover for yourselves parts of Ypres which you may not have visited before. Talk and presentation - 'Pack up your troubles'. Dinner and overnight. | |
| Day 3 | A visit to'Toc H' in Poperinge; the house, museum, garden and Concert Party. The Shot at Dawn courtyard and cemetery. St. George's Memorial Church. Lunch break in Ypres including 'In Flanders Fields Museum'. The reconstruction of Ypres. Langemarck German Cemetery. The Brooding Soldier and Tyne Cot Cemetery. Presentation dinner with guest speaker and overnight. | |
| Day 4 | The 1914 Christmas Truce and Football. The Irish Peace Park at Messines. Lone Tree Crater at Spanbroekmolen. The trenches at the Beyenwald. Harold Long at Van Damme Farn and Vormezeele. Lunch break in Ypres (optional walk along the old ramparts) Calais-Dover Ferry. Arrive approx 1845 Dover and 2030 London. |
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