SOMME 2012

HOME AGM 2012
FAIR2012 BAILEYS NIGHTCLUB
RESEARCH CENTRE PROJECTS
THE SOCIETY AND HOW TO JOIN CONTACT US
COMPUTER GROUP HINCKLEY GROUP
LEICESTER GROUP LOUGHBOROUGH GROUP
MKT HARBOROUGH GROUP RUTLAND GROUP
QUERY BOX SURNAME INTERESTS
PUBLICATIONS NATIONAL ARCHIVE TRIPS
MAILING LIST

WATCH OUR VIDEO

Leicestershire & Rutland

Family History Society

NOW AT THE RESEARCH CENTRE

ITINERARY

FOR EXTRA INFORMATION ON THE PLACES WE ARE VISITING

CLICK ON THE RED LINKS

Day 1 – Local departure by coach then onwards to St Omer for a four-night stay at the Ibis Hotel in the town centre. St Omer is just 30 miles inland from Calais.

DAY 2 – ST OMER – THE BULL RING – WAR POETS - We begin our tour today at the Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery, looking at the role of the many pilots and observers of the Royal Flying Corps and RAF who flew from the St Omer airfield. We then travel to Etaples for lunch. In the afternoon we see the Etaples town museum, with relics of the base camp, visit the site of the infamous ‘Bull Ring’ training ground, where every soldier who came to France from 1916 onwards trained, and then go to the huge Etaples Military Cemetery. Here we see the graves of those who died of wounds, including many army nurses and landworkers. In Boulogne we visit Boulogne Eastern Cemetery for the grave of Julian Grenfell, one of the Great War poets who wrote ‘Into Battle’ in 1915 and at Wimereux we visit the grave of John McCrae, the Canadian medic and poet who wrote ‘In Flanders Fields’ at Ypres in 1915, also seeing his memorial.

DAY 3 – ROUEN – MCCUDDEN VC – HAIG’S HEADQUARTERS Today we travel to Rouen, stopping en route at the unique Chinese Cemetery at Noyelles, commemorating China’s Labour troops. Rouen was the site of the main British base in France up to 1916 and where thousands of soldiers were billeted going to the Battles of Loos and the Somme. Here we visit the huge and impressive St Sever Cemetery and Extension, looking at the story of those who worked at the base camp and hospitals, and also Theodore Hardy VC, an army padre decorated for bravery in 1918. Lunchtime in Rouen and in the afternoon we head for Wavans where we look at the story of one of the greatest flying aces of WW1, Major James McCudden VC MC MM, seeing his grave and visiting the ground where his last flight took place. Moving on to Montreuil, the site of General Sir Douglas Haig’s headquarters – GHQ – we visit the Ramparts and see Haig’s statue.

DAY 4 – CASSEL HILL – TALBOT HOUSE – MICK MANNOCK VC We begin at Mont Cassel – once the hill the Grand Old Duke of York marched his 10,000 men up and down – and during WW1 was a headquarters for French General, Marshall Foch. We see his statue here and the site of his HQ. At Lijssenthoek we visit the largest behind the lines cemetery looking at the story of Nurse Nellie Spindler, killed in Flanders. We then visit Talbot House in Poperinghe where we visit the original building taken over by padre’s Tubby Clayton & Neville Talbot and where ‘Toc H’ began in 1915. Lunchtime in Poperinghe before visiting sites of the medical services in the area. We end the day back in Northern France looking at the story of air ace Mick Mannock VC, seeing the ground at Butter Lane where he was shot down and visiting what may well be his grave at Laventie.

Day 5 - Travel Home

“BEHIND THE LINES”

WW1 SOMME TOUR 2012

MONDAY 9TH - FRIDAY 13TH JULY

POETS, PADRES, NURSES & VC WINNERS

Our 9th Trip Over 11 Years!