Pals at War

Day 1‍

Visit ‘Musee Somme’, Wellington Quarries or Historial de la Grande Guerre

Day 2‍

We examine the exploits of the 31st Division at Serre, the 36th Ulsters at Mill Road, the 32nd on the Leipzig salient and the successes of the 30th at Montauban.

Afternoon battlefield Tour which can include, Lochnagar Crater, Newfoundland Park and Thiepval Memorial.

Depart for Calais OR

Day 3‍

Visit Vimy Ridge Memorial, trenches, and tunnels before stopping at the German Cemetery at la Targette.  Depart for Calais.

Battlefield and History Tours recommends the following

Wellington Quarry, or la Carrière Wellington in Arras, is an underground museum created in tunnels dug by the British Army during the 1914-1918 war. The museum commemorates the thousands of men from the British Army and Dominion Forces, particularly the tunnelers of the New Zealand Division, who lived under the city during the Great War.

Musee Somme 1916 in Albert is in the center of the Somme Battlefields, below the basilica of Notre Dame de Brebières. The museum highlights soldiers' lives in the trenches during the offensive of 1 July 1916. It is housed in a 250-meter-long underground passage with alcoves, display cases, sound effects, images, and lights, bringing the experience to life.

The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing is a 45-meter-high structure that stands out from the surrounding countryside on what was the old German frontline. The memorial is dedicated to the 73,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who lost their lives in the Somme and have no known grave.

Lochnagar Crater is an impressive crater approximately 90 meters in diameter and 60 meters deep. It was created by a mine detonated on 1st July 1916, laid by the British Army's 179th Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers beneath a German strongpoint called "Schwaben Höhe." The crater is east of the village of La Boisselle.

Delville Wood, sometimes known as Devil's Wood, witnessed particularly ferocious fighting. The majority of the wood was eventually taken by South African soldiers on 15th July 1916. These soldiers held on grimly during numerous German counterattacks for six days until they were relieved. There is now a museum in Delville Wood, which is hexagonal in structure.

Vimy Ridge focuses on the Canadian Corps' superbly planned capture of Vimy Ridge in April 1917, a turning point for the Allies in the First World War. Guided tours of the tunnels are available between 1st May and 30th November and are free, but availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. There are also trenches above ground and a remarkably interesting Visitor Education Centre.

Historial de la Grande Guerre is located in the medieval chateau of Peronne and consists of four large rooms dealing with the multicultural aspect of the war. The museum presents the perspectives of the European nations at war (France, Germany, and Great Britain) through the memories of war experienced from the battlefront to behind the lines.

Newfoundland Park is a Canadian National Historic Site that commemorates the Newfoundland Regiment near Beaumont-Hamel. The Newfoundland Battalion suffered significant casualties during the most dramatic days of the 1916 campaign. The park retains the two opposing trench systems as they were in 1916 and has an interesting Visitor Centre.

Other variations on numbers and duration available plus day trips available on Request.