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The Battlefields of the Arras and the Somme Areas : France.

  The Story of Collective Sorrow

There were many disasters for the British during World War One, but one stands out for the numbing sadness engendered back home in some towns or cities; the Battle of the Somme. The massacre involved men who enlisted in what came to be known as ‘Pals’ battalions. These battalions were mostly made up of volunteers who all came from the same locality or town. Husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, cousins, uncles, nephews, friends, fiancés, boyfriends, work colleagues, acquaintances and neighbours. It would be great for comradeship in the training and during the battle, so the generals, and indeed everyone, thought before the battle. After the battle, minds changed. Why was that? In the days when people knew most locals, when the population was much more static, absences would be noticed and lots of absences, noticed all the more. There could be no hiding the collective local grief.

On July 1st 1916, the British launched an almighty offensive against the Germans, after 7 days shelling, in a previously quite sector of the Western Front. By the end of the day the official British and Empire death toll was 19,240, with 57,470 casualties. It was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. The agony of the Somme dragged on for 4 months and as casualties rose to 419,654 for the British Empire troops, 204,253 French troops and 434,515 German soldiers. The total dead and missing tolls were over 210,000. Casualties numbered over a million collectively.
 

• Why were so many killed on the first day and what lessons were learned?

• Who exactly were the Pals battalions?

• Why did the battle carry on for four months?

• What was gained and what was lost?

 

 

 The Forgotten Battles

 

The despair of the Battle of the Somme is well documented, whereas The Battle of Arras, yet another massive campaign, fought in 1917, (April 9^th until May 15^th), is less so. It was the brain child of the new French Commander in Chief, Robert Nivelle, who thought that if the French and British Empire troops worked together, they would be able to break through quickly in this sector! After the initial artillery barrage, it settled down into the usual stalemate or attrition type situation, with a huge loss of life. Monuments on the ground bear witness to the carnage, as the German Hindenburg Line was attacked, from Vimy Ridge to Bullecourt.

 

The Arras sector, just to the North of the Somme, was held by the French in the earlier phases of the War, and shelled by the Germans who were about 2 miles away. The city was left in ruins. In 1916, the British took over the town from the French. A unique feature of Arras is the network of underground tunnels and ancient quarries which during the war, were used to house troops in preparation for their 1917 campaign, part of a larger French master plan to break through. The British, Canadian and Australian troops had to attack the specially reinforced Hindenburg Line to where to the enemy had withdrawn. The aim was to capture high ground held by the Germans and draw them away from the French area of attack.

 

The Battle of Arras was really a series of battles, between Vimy and Bullecourt in the south. The Canadians took Vimy Ridge. The British had some good success in the battles of the Scarpe, but struggled further south with the Australians, making fewer gains.

 

Overall, gains in land could be counted as a success, but there was no breakthrough.  Experimental tactics, such as the creeping barrage and counter-battery fire, had been tried and had shown that assaults against heavily fortified positions could take some land at least. Casualties were appalling! The names of nearly 35,000 of the missing are engraved on the Faubourg d’Amiens memorial, along with more than 7,000 graves.

• What happened to the Grimsby Chums at Arras? (a Pal’s Battalion)
• Why are these battles less remembered than the Somme and Ypres?
• Why was this sector handed over to the British in 1916?
• How was success judged, then and now?

Come and find out the answers to these and other key questions about the Battles of the Somme and Arras. Why was there so much sacrifice and suffering?  Why did the army have to endure such horrendous death tolls and casualties? Look with knowing eyes at what happened in the areas we visit. You will be moved by the tragedy of the situation from which there was little escape for the people of those times.

This Tour consists of:

2 days study in England: 2 nights at a 3* hotel with pool and spa near Maidstone.

3 days guided visits to key sites in the Arras and Somme Area. 2 nights at a 2 or 3* Hotel in Arras or Albert.

Saturday/Monday

• 9 –10 am   Arrive at hotel. (Friday night’s accommodation can be arranged at an extra cost of £50 per head.)
• 10am        Start. Icebreaker activities. These are important as we want the group to get to know each other and
                 interact before starting the course itself. Introduction to the study module.
• 12:30        Lunch.
• 1:30         Continue study activities. All course materials included.
• 3:30         Tea – Coffee Break. (Bedroom allocations, where required).
• 4:00         Study activities.
• 6:00         Free time. You can use the pool and/or spa facilities
• 7:00         Dinner
• 8:30         Fun study activities to reinforce earlier learning. Team quiz.
• 10:00pm    Finish

Sunday/Tuesday

• 8.00 Breakfast

• 9:30 Course begins

• 10:45 Tea-Coffee Break

• 11:00 Study activities.

• 12:30 Lunch

• 1:30 Film about The Battle of the Somme and its importance in our War History. Questions and discussions afterwards.

• 3:00 Tea- Coffee Break

• 4:00 Study activities. Research a particular soldier or a relative.

• 6:00 Free time.

• 7.00 Dinner

• 8:30 Presentation of research findings. Course overview. Final questions

• 10pm Finish.

 

Monday/Wednesday

• 8.00 Breakfast - If not participating in the study sessions, arrive at hotel by 8:30am. (Alternatively, Sunday night’s accommodation can be arranged for £50 per head, including breakfast.)

• 9: 00 Depart Hotel by coach for tunnel crossing to France.

• 10:30 Crossing

• 12:00 (local time). Coach towards Arras.

• 1:30 Snack Lunch en route.

• 2:30 Arrive at Vimy Ridge, with its mock up trenches and underground tunnels where, today a huge monument to the brave soldiers (can be seen from the motorway) and a preserved area of the battlefield, will be visited.

• 3:30 Visit cemeteries on the way, such as La Targette and Cabaret Rouge British Cemeteries. The French National Memorial and Cemetery. The Notre Dame de Lorette is one of the largest cemeteries, with a magnificent light house tower, 52 metres high. At the top is a search light which shines continually through 360 degrees.

• 6:00 Drive to hotel in Arras. Check in.

• 7:00 Evening free for dinner in Arras town centre.

• 9:00 Overview of the day in hotel bar. (Optional)
   

Memorial at Vimy Ridge

 

The rebuilt Town Hall, Arras

Tuesday/Thursday

• 8.00 Breakfast.

• 9:00 Pack up and leave hotel. Visit the tunnels under Arras.

• 10:00 Stop off at the Faubourg D’Amiens Cemetery where the memorial wall lists just under 36,000 names of the missing from this sector, as well as 2,600 graves.

• 10:30 Coach towards The Somme battlefield area. Drive to Gommecourt, Serre and Beaumont Hamel’s Newfoundland Memorial Park. Stop off at various points to look at areas that we will have studied, such as the grave of 16 year old, James Crozier, who was executed for cowardice.
  Beaumont Hamel is a small village where the English Army stayed on the way to Agincourt in 1415. The Canadians were here in 1916 and suffered a huge casualty toll on the first day of the battle. The Newfoundlanders were cut to shreds. After the War, the Canadian Government purchased the 80 acre site of the disaster from the French in perpetuity. The result has been the preservation of these trenches in ‘good’ condition, as the Newfoundland Memorial Park.

• 1:30 Snack Lunch in a café in Albert.
  The town of Albert stands a few km behind the lines, was badly shelled. It was the central collecting point for troops before they were sent to their respective positions at the front. The story went that if Golden Virgin and Child statue on the top of the basilica fell the war would end. It was hit by a shell and hung precariously over the church from January 1915. However, when the Germans captured Albert in March 1918, it was British who finally shot it down on April 16th as they were now shelling Albert.

• 2:30 Visit museum in Albert

• 3:30 Visit Thiepval Memorial and Museum, Ulster Tower, nearby trenches and cemeteries.
  The Thiepval Memorial Arch, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, contains the names of 73,357 missing soldiers from the Somme battle. It was opened in 1932, by the Prince of Wales. In 2004 a new Visitor’s Centre was opened to help visitors to understand the significance of the Memorial to the Missing.

• 6:00 Coach to Pozieres. Visit the Pozieres Military Cemetery, with its 14,000 names of men who died on the Somme.

• 6:30 On to La Boiselle and nearby cemetery at Ovilliers. Stories of what happened to some soldiers here and nearby.

• 7:30 Coach to hotel in Peronne or Albert. Check in

• 8:00 Evening free for dinner in the town.

• 9:30 Optional; overview of the day in the hotel bar.
   

Wednesday/Friday

• 8.00 Breakfast
• 9:00 Visit around Mametz Wood. At Mansell Copse, near the village of Mametz, is the Devonshire Cemetery. Here they attacked on July 1st. By July 4th, they used a section of what had been their front line to bury their dead. The cemetery has 163 graves, 10 of which are unknown. The plaque at the entrance is engraved with the hauntingly sad words:-
  “The Devonshires held this trench, The Devonshires hold it still”
• 10:30 Coach to Delville Wood. Today, Delville Wood is the site of the South African National Memorial, the museum and visitors centre, which commemorates the lives of 25,000 South Africans in the conflicts of the 20th century. During the Battle of the Somme, from July 14th, 121 officers, 3,032 men went into the woods and captured most of it. This came at a huge price. Only 29 officers and 751 men came out alive on July 20th. They had been ordered to take it at all costs.
• 12:30 Coach to the Butte de Walerncourt
• 1:00 Return journey to Calais.
• 3:00 Lunch and shopping at Cite Europe (if time) in Calais.
• 5:00 Crossing
• 6:00 Back at hotel in Maidstone or railway station for homeward journeys.

Tours are planned for;

April              19^th 2008    Saturday

May              26^th 2008    Monday

July                5^th 2008    Saturday

October          6^th 2008    Monday.

See Tour Dates page for further information

The cost of the tour is £485.

This includes all meals in England (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and BB in France, guest speaker, all travel in a luxury coach, all museum entrances and all the study activities with specially prepared educational packs designed to go with our itinerary.
 

The overall group will never exceed 36 persons.  Each class will be small enough so everyone can easily participate in activities and discussions. We will mix people around, so you meet everyone in the overall group.

The price does not include lunches and dinners in France as you will have free time to choose your own restaurants or cafes.
 

Our Company Insurance is included. However, you need your own holiday insurance, as well as your EHIC - European Health Insurance Card (formerly E111) in case of personal injury requiring hospital treatment (or adequate insurance cover). See booking terms and conditions.

The tour by itself is also available without the educational package at £295.

Alternately, the study weekend in England can be attended full board, without the foreign travel, at a cost of £240.

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