Tour itinerary

DAY 1:Depart am and Arrive in Albert (3* hotel) in the evening

DAY 2: There is a briefing in the hotel prior to departure to set the scene. We visit the front line positions from which the British launched their attack on July 1st 1916. Perhaps the most impressive site is the Lochnagar crater, where the British detonated an enormous mine prior to “going over the top” at 7.30 a.m. that morning. The preserved lines of trenches in the Newfoundland Park and a number of other sites visited show just how impossible a task they had been set. The nearby battlefield cemeteries tell their own story…

DAY 3: The First World War is famous for the literature it produced, and one of the most famous of the English war poets – Siegfried Sassoon – fought here. We visit the area and hear the story of how he won his M.C. We also see some of the areas fought over later in the battle (which went on for over 4 months) including the fortified woods. Sassoon made a particularly daring night attack on Mametz Wood and in the evening you get the chance to do a night exercise and discover what you are made of!

DAY 4: We visit the furthest point the Allies eventually reached at the end of the battle in November, and ponder on the enormity of the human suffering and sacrifice. A visit to the Thiepval Memorial is a suitable finale. This commemorates all those died but have no known grave. We also visit the Tank Memorial.


Tour Leader(s): Chris Scott and Bartle Frere

Useful Information

Probably the most dramatic day in British military history was July 1st 1916, when the British infantry went “over the top” on the first day of the battle of the Somme. Following an artillery barrage on the German lines that had lasted a week, they expected little opposition as they walked across “No man’s land”. However the barrage had not been successful and German artillery and machine gun fire accounted for 56,000 British/Allied casualties on that one day.

On this trip we get the opportunity to relive the events of that first day. We see where the British troops left their trenches, and the ground where many died. Their graves can be seen in the battlefield cemeteries nearby and those with patience will still find shell cases and bullets in the fields.

We read poems of the British poets and letters sent to the soldiers’ families. We take time to contemplate the impact these few months had on both the families and the early years of the twentieth century in Britain.

Although this is an historical tour, there will also be time to enjoy the excellent French cuisine. The evening meal in Arras will be (weather permitting) in one of the magnificent medieval squares in the centre of the town. Lunches will be informal picnics provided by a back-up team.

The generation that fought the First World War are known as “The Lost Generation” and maybe a member of your family was killed. If so, you can check out his details by contacting the Commonwealth War Grave Commission (www.cwgc.org)

Picture gallery
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	Smaug Abroad Ltd., The Lodge, Bardwell Road, Oxford, OX2 6SS
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