WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE BATTLE HONOURS • We walk the battlefields- in our view understanding history is to get out on the ground and walk in the footsteps of the men who fought in years past. These walks off the beaten track also enable discovery of quiet reflective areas inaccessible to large coach parties. • Dynamics- our scheduled tour groups do not exceed 16 participants. This ensures a quality Guide to Customer ratio and helps promote a convivial atmosphere and foster lasting friendships, with many customers returning to tour together year after year. • Our Guides are not just guides; they are your host, tour leader and entertainer. All tours will be led by company founders Clive, Julian or another badged member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides. This standard of guide is now the benchmark for quality in the craft of battlefield guides.
WHO WE ARE With outstanding customer service and superb historic knowledge the Battle Honours team provide quality walking tours to the battlefields of Europe and beyond. All tours will be led by a badged member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides, ensuring you have the best possible quality learning experience when choosing us. 2011 sees us return to the haunting yet poignant battlegrounds of Ypres, Gallipoli and the Somme. In addition we discover new battlefronts following Wellingtons Peninsular Campaign and the Tunnellers war on the Western Front, a return to the ever popular Vosges sector, the seldom visited Sambre Canal and a new tour studying the fascinating corridor between Arras & Cambrai. With the introduction of guest speakers and guides, all
internationally renowned experts in thier field, there really is something for every battlefield enthusiast in our 2011 program. Lead Guides and Directors Clive Harris and Julian Whippy are recognised for their passion, enthusiasm and vast subject knowledge, with in excess of 20 years combined guiding experience you will be in safe hands whilst on tour. Clive served in the Royal Signals and with Hertfordshire Constabulary before embarking on a career in military history in 1998. In addition to the publication of "Walking the London Blitz", “A Wander through Wartime London” and "The Greater Game" he has contributed to Time Team, Time Watch, Blitz Spirit and CBS's Legacy of War, his specialist battlefield subjects are The Retreat of 1914, The Ypres
• No hidden charges and tour optional costs. We have a policy of Bed and Breakfast that allows you choice in the evening, according to your budget and style. Advertised museums are included.
Salient, 1918, The London Blitz and the Italian Campaign of 1943/44 Clive is the holder of badge number 33 within the Guild of Battlefield Guides and has recently been elected onto the prestigious British Commission for Military History. Julian leads a number of our bespoke groups and spends a lot of time in Normandy researching the beach and inland battles of 1944. He enjoys leading groups to uncover lost or seldom seen sites of battle from all wars. He has a military back ground having served with the Royal Anglian Regiment as a member of the Territorial Army. A published author, he is a badged member and validator within the Guild of Battlefield Guides. Julian lectures on Military history widely having recently done so in Whitehall for the Royal United Services Institute.
Battle Honours remain your best option when choosing a Battlefield tour.
WHATS INCLUDED
AT A GLANCE TOURS 10/14 April
Western Front Walks
£539:00
*Price as last year*
1/6 May
Walking Gallipoli I
£890:00
*Price as last year*
19/23 June
Walking Arras to Cambrai
£599:00
*New Tour*
10/15 July
The War Underground
£659:00
*New Tour*
24/28 July
The Road to Rome
£799:00
*Price as last year*
7/11 August
Day of Days – 4 November 1918
£539:00
*New Tour*
4/8 September
Redcoats to Khaki
£539:00
*Price as last year*
18/23 September
Walking Gallipoli II
£890:00
*Price as last year*
25/29 September
Walking the Vosges
£659:00
*5 night tour*
14/19 October
Walking the Peninsular War
£890:00
*New Tour*
8/12 November
Ypres Armistice Tour
£539:00
*Price as last year*
Photographs courtesy of Mike Sheil from www.westernfrontphotography.com and Frank Toogood from the Guild of Battlefield Guides
Our scheduled tours include return travel from London, with additional pick ups at Maidstone Services and Dover Docks. We use 8 seat luxury MPV vehicles, that with their comfort and leg and luggage space have proved extremely popular. Tours to Italy, the Peninsular battlefields and Gallipoli include return flights from a London airport. Our Hotels are chosen to offer the right combination of comfort, value and convenience. Where possible our hotels are close to town centres, on more remote battlefields however country hotels are chosen to afford the maximum time on the battlefield. Accommodation is typically based on Bed and Breakfast basis allowing for flexibility in our own dining requirements. Throughout the tour a badged Guide of the Guild of Battlefield Guides is on hand to ensure the most hassle free, relaxed tour possible.
BESPOKE BATTLEFIELD TOURS From groups of 1 to 100 our company has vast experience in arranging a tour to suit your needs. Be it following an individual soldier’s war to a particular regiment, action or even studying the lads from your local village memorial, consider Battle Honours to plan an unforgettable battlefield experience meeting your expectations and budget.
Battle Honours Limited, PO Box 74 Knebworth SG3 6TH Tel: 01438 816661 www.battle-honours.co.uk
QUICKFIRER! Do you receive our monthly battlefield news e-letter “The Quickfirer”? If not, let us know.
PRICE AS LAST YEAR!
WALKING GALLIPOLI
PRICE AS LAST YEAR!
No battlefield is as dramatic in setting and evocative in memory as Gallipoli. Our ever popular walking tour covers the full 259 days of the campaign. We feel this tour offers the most comprehensive tour available to the Peninsular, in an intimate group we reach seldom visited spots via mule tracks, dried up gullies and quiet beaches. Day 1
Day 3
Scheduled flights from London to Istanbul. Transfer to Gallipoli by short internal flight, before arriving at Canakkale Hotel where a welcome drink in our private garden awaits.
Walk 3: From Anzac Cove to Lone Pine. Here the AIF stormed ashore and scrambled past the “Sphinx” to breach the Turkish lines. After visiting Plugges Plateau we climb Boltons Ridge via Shell Green ending at the Lone Pine Memorial with its breath taking views over the Aegean.
Day 2
WESTERN FRONT WALKS - SOMME & YPRES This year we have combined our Ypres & Somme walking tours to provide more variety, this is an ideal tour if you have not walked with us before to experience a Battle Honours tour, limited to just 15 spaces our itinerary is as follows; Sunday 10 April 2011 - Pick up at either London Victoria (Eccleston Place, W1) Folkestone Services or Dover Eastern Docks for a crossing to Calais and onward to our first hotel the Beatus, Cambrai
duckboard track and ending the walk at Hellfire Corner to here the story of this most infamous spot on the "old front line", we then check into the very welcoming Varlet Farm, a trip into Ypres that evening ends our day
Monday 11 April 2011 - A full days Somme walking.
Wednesday 13 April 2011 - after a hearty breakfast we begin
Walk 1: Carnoy to Montauban & beyond, following the advance of the 30th & 18th (Eastern) Division on the opening day of the battle, we learn of the capture of Montauban and Danzig Alley Trench before pushing onto Quarry Cemetery and ending at Caterpiller Valley CWGC in the shadow of the infamous High Wood. *Lunch can be taken in Pozieres before
Walk 4: The Frezenburg Ridge, one of our favourite walks, from Railway Wood (RE Tunnellers Grave CWGC) we cross to the edge of Franzenburg Ridge, we head east learning of the 1915 & 1917 battles in this area visiting the isolated PPCLI memorial and ending at the Scottish Memorial atop the Ridge *lunch can be taken at Hooge Crater
Walk 2: Gommecourt, this comprehensive study of the 1 July 1916 battle involving the 56th London and 46th North Midland Division takes us from Foncquevillers to Hebuterne
Walk 5: following the 58th London Division assault on Poelcapelle we also cover tanks warfare in the salient, the 29th Division & 63rd RND assaults in the area eventually ending up back at Varlet Farm. Evening visit to the Menin Gate Ceremony
Tuesday 12 April 2011 - leaving the hotel we visit Flesquieres and learn the incredible story of D51 "Deborah" as told by our host Philippe Gorczynski, we then head up to the Ypres Salient where a packed lunch will be taken on arrival before
KEY FACTS Tour Dates: 10/14 April 2011 Price per person: £539:00 pp Sharing a twin room B&B. Tour limited to just 15 places.
Walk 1: From W Beach, Cape Helles we see the cemeteries of Lancashire Landing and V Beach. Crossing the fields around Hunter-Weston Hill we arrive at the magnificent Helles memorial. We visit Sedulbahir where the substantial Turkish defences awaited the assault from the famous RiverClyde. Walk 2: Our walk heads “up the line” along the weather beaten Gully Ravine to Pink Farm allowing us to visit spots that once housed over burdened Field Ambulances and countless billets in its shelter, alongside wells sunk by the Engineers to quench the parched thirst of the troops.
£100:00 Single Supplement.
Hotel: Hotel Beatus Cambrai & Varlet Farm Passchendaele
Day 4 Walk 5: Twelve Tree Copse to the Redoubt. The heart of the Gallipoli fighting, hear the story of the “Cigarette VC” and follow along Wigan Road and Oldham Street trench lines
Walk 6: The most spectacular of any battlefield walks from the heights of Chanuk Bair to the beaches below. Focusing on Kiwi forces and New Army troops we follow their battle along the Rhododendron Ridge. This walk is on steep, mountainous terrain along a winding trail and is enormously rewarding. Day 5 Walk 7: After a stop at Chocolate and Green Hills, we spend the morning looking at the ill fated Suvla landings in mid August 1915. Our walk begins at Hill 10 before we follow in the footsteps of the 5th Norfolk’s and uncover the true story behind the vanishing battalion. Afternoon visits to the French battlefield at Morto Bay and the Turkish Monolith. Day 6 Return to UK via Istanbul after a visit to the fabulous Naval Museum in Canakkale.
KEY FACTS Tour Dates: 1/6 May and 18/23 September Price per person: £890:00 pp sharing a twin room B&B + Packed Lunch
Thursday 14 April 2011 - Free time in the memorable town of Ypres before heading back to Calais and onward journey to the UK (London ETA 17:00hrs)
£110:00 Single Supplement.
Tour limited to just 15 places
Walk 3: Zillebeke to Hellfire Corner, starting in Larch Wood Cemetery we walk through the village of Zillebeke following in the footsteps of John Glubb before passing the location of China Wall
“Dear Clive and Julian, Just a short note to thank you very much for an absolutely splendid tour of Gallipoli. It could not have been bettered and you covered the whole campaign by a superb balance of anecdote, facts, personalities and terrain and always putting what you talked about or showed us in context. Thank you particularly for letting me go off and look at the Gurkha sites.” Major Gordon Corrigan MBE
Walk 4: Clinging to the cliffs we chart the frontline held by Anzac troops. Intimate burial spots at Parade Ground Cemetery and Johnstons Jolly join preserved trenches and memorials named after courageous and colourful Australian characters. We finish at the tragic site of The Nek.
before arriving at Redoubt cemetery to learn the story of 2/Lt Duckworth.
Hotel: Hotel Kervansaray, Canakkale
Tel: 01438 816661 www.battle-honours.co.uk
ARRAS TO CAMBRAI WALKING TOUR
NEW
We are pleased to announce this new tour and our guest guide, Jon Nicholls author of the most comprehensive book yet written on the Battle of Arras, Cheerful Sacrifice. The tour focuses on the 1917 & 1918 fighting along the road between these two great cities through a series of walks and is based at the comfortable and popular Hotel Beatus, Cambrai.
WALKING THE VOSGES
NEW
A return to this popular destination in a tour led by Mike Sheil studying the heavily fought over Vosges battlefields. Spectacular in their scenery, matched only by the sheer scale of the tangible evidence that still covers the ground this is a tour not to be missed. A contested region that had been part of Germany since 1870, the French were keen to regain lost territory as soon as hostilities began. The two armies pitched some of their most elite troops into the fighting, notably the proud Alpine Chasse troops coming face to face with German Jager troops committed to defending ground they considered to be German. Largely undeveloped today the battlefield is littered with trenches, bunkers, barbed wire, memorials and cemeteries on a scale not seen elsewhere on the Western Front. Our tour is based in the charming family run Hotel Roess perched on the mountainside hamlet of Hohrodberg. The tour will cover the three main battlefields of Le Linge, Tetes Des Faux and Hartmannswillerkopf via a series of comprehensive walks. Day 1/2 - Travel to France, leaving from London via Dover to Calais this longer than usual drive is broken up by an overnight stay and visit to the St Mihiel Salient before arriving on the Vosges for day 3 Day 3 - La Linge, just a short drive from the Hotel our walk starts behind the French lines, here we cross the shell torn no-mans-land up to the German wire, through densely wooded ground we discover the numerous bunkers and trenches that exist undisturbed whilst learning of the stories of the men who
fought here and the actions that took place. We arrive at the Le Linge battlefield park 983 meters above sea level where there is a fascinating museum set among perfectly preserved trenches bunkers and look out posts before ending the day at the nearby French Cemetery. Day 4 - Tetes Des Faux, we climb higher to the wilderness of Tetes Des Faux. First captured by the Germans in early September 1914, it was recaptured by the French in December and then became a gruelling fight for the summit over the coming weeks before both sides entrenched for the duration of the war. Our walk crosses very undulating land (mostly up), crossing bivouac areas, completely preserved trench systems and remote isolated cemeteries set deep in the forest before we reach the summit and receive an awe inspiring view over the region from atop a reinforced natural French observation post. Continuing across the mountain we descend via the crumbling moss covered remains of a German cable railway system and larger bunker complexes before ending our day. Day 5 - Hartmannswillerkopf, saving the most dramatic to the end, our walk today starts at the huge French Memorial and Cemetery, continuing onto the summit itself where the trenches and bunkers overlook the Rhine plain, during a circuit around the crest we uncover some
KEY FACTS Tour Dates: 25/30 September 2011 Price per person: £659:00 per person sharing a twin room B&B £100:00 Single Supplement.
Hotel: 1 night in the St Mihiel Salient B&B and 4 nights at the family run Roess Hotel B&B incredible memorials such as the German comrades memorial carved out of stone, a complete Minnenwerfer battery and the breath taking memorial to the 152nd Infantry Regiment , the Red Devils who fought a furious action across this ground. Lunch at the memorable “Chez Dora” is followed by a feature unequalled on the Western Front, via the Swiss Epique we descend some 400 metres along a 8 foot deep trench blasted out of the rock, fire steps and loop holes still line the parapet, bunkers and barbed wire defences are almost complete making for a memorable climax to our tour of this incredible battlefield.
Day 1 - Travel from London to Calais via Dover and onward to our hotel, a stop will be made at the Vis-en-Artois Memorial.
Tunnel and visit the Arras Memorial before a short walk along the lines of Croiselles that saw such heavy fighting in March 1918.
Day 2 - Walk 1: Heninel, through a series of seldom visited cemeteries we visit the line that was so heavily fought over in 1917 & 1918 towards Cherisy, hearing stories of gallantry and sacrifice along the way Lunch can be taken in a nearby estaminet Walk 2 - Monchy Le Preux, one of the most important strategic villages on the Western Front it marks the gateway to Cambrai for the BEF as it approached the Hindenburg Line and also the pin in the defence of Arras in 1918. Our walk covers cavalry actions, assaults in Blizzards and dogged rearguard actions.
Day 4 - Walk 4: Canal du Nord, we study the stunning crossing action of the canal as far as Moeuvres part of the 36 Ulster Division line in December 1917, we hear the story of Lt Charles Pope VC at Inchy, a Metropolitan Police officer and end back on the banks of the Canal Lunch can be taken in central Cambrai
Day 3 - Walk 3: In the shadow of Vimy Ridge, we follow the French advance of 1915 and then the succesful Canadian assualt in the spring of 1917, we look at the air war over the skies of Arras starting in the area around Thelus and ending at the Memorial itself Lunch can be taken in central Arras The afternoon sees us take a tour of the Wellington
Day 6 - After a visit to an intimate memorial commemorating a bomber command crew who flew into the mountainside above our hotel we depart back to the UK.
“On behalf of Mick, Frank and myself, I would like to thank you for the great trip we had. I t was everything we wanted and more.You gave us some good ideas when going to the Western Front. Personally I have been going to the Western Front every year since 1978, but I would love to walk with you again.” Graham Gathercole - Merseyside WFA
Tel: 01438 816661 www.battle-honours.co.uk
Walk 5: Bourlon Wood, starting at Crest CemeteryFontaine Notre Dame we study the struggle for Bourlon Wood in December 1917, we then focus on the Canadian assault a year later and end at the imposing memorial to thier efforts that offers a clear view back to Monchy Le Preux and the open ground that lay between Day 5 - After a visit to Flesquieres and D51 Deborah where we learn her incredible story as told by her finder Philippe Gorczynski, we head back to Calais and onward to Dover then London
KEY FACTS Tour Dates: 19/23 June 2011 Price per person: Price per person £599.00 sharing a twin B&B & Museum entries. £100:00 Single Supplement.
Hotel: 3* Hotel Beatus, Cambrai B&B
KEY FACTS
KEY FACTS
Tour Dates: 10/15 July 2011
Tour Dates: 24/28 July 2011
Price per person: £659:00 per person sharing a twin room B&B, Museum entries
Price per person: £799:00 inclusive of flights and 4 nights B&B, Museum entry -
£100:00 Single Supplement. *please note this is a 5 night tour*
£100:00 Single Supplement.
Hotel: 2 nights in the Ypres Salient, 1 night in the Chemin de Dames region, 2 nights in the Vauquios area, 3* B&B through out Day 4 - The Chemin de Dames, as we head to the often overlooked Aisne region we will visit some of the famous tunnel and cave complexes that date from the opening moves of the war in September 1914 through to the costly Nievelle offensive if 1917, we also have a very special location usually out of public access that will be visited on this day, a definite highlight of the tour.
NEW
THE WAR UNDERGROUND This new and exciting tour is led by the popular Mike Sheil, his passion for the Tunnellers stands alongside the knowledge he has acquired for the ground during his journey taking stunning photographs of the Western Front. He has put together this fascinating itinerary that takes us from Ypres to Vauquois. We shall be visiting famous tunneling sites and some less well known caves an tunnels along the way. Day 1 - Travel to Ypres via London, Dover & Calais, welcome lecture on arrival Day 2 - The Ypres Salient & the Messines Ridge, both offensive and defensive tunnelling operations will be visiting RE Tunnellers Grave, Zonnebeke Museum & a number of the sites associated with the Messines Offensive as well as the Ploegsteert Memorial and the site of the Catacombs under Hill 63
Day 5 - Vauquios, some of the most incredible underground sites of the Great War are visited on this final days touring, with some walking included we take an in depth look at the unforgettable destroyed village with its network of tunnels and huge craters. Day 6 - We head back to the UK via Calais, Dover & London
Day 3 - Arras & Vimy Ridge, we head south to study the underground war in Artois, with visits to the Sapper Hackett memorial to here of his story of heroism, the Grange tunnel under Vimy and the Wellington tunnel complex under Arras are highlights as we continue our study of John Norton Griffiths. We also plan to visit a hitherto site with the Duran Group not open to previous groups.
“I had to drop you a mail to thank you for the tour, truly could not have been better, if you can put up with me again i would love to join you another time soon, thanks again for a great tour” Nick Green, Surrey
Hotel: 2 nights Hotel Le Pace, Monte Cassino & 2 nights at the Hotel Lido Garda, Anzio PRICE AS LAST YEAR!
THE ROAD TO ROME – MONTE CASSINO & ANZIO Road to Rome – This popular tour follows the slog up Italy of our famous D-Day Dodgers Barely three weeks before D-Day a lone Polish flag fluttered from the ruinous mountainous rubble of Monte Cassino. The preceding battles had involved the armies of 18 nations and 74,000 casualties. At last the Road to Rome had been opened up yet victory in the campaign remained a long slog away. Our tour studies the fighting for Cassino, The Liri Valley, The Garigliano River, The Anzio Landings and Beach head before crossing the disputed spine of Italy to discover the smaller hilltop actions that typified the campaign, through veteran’s accounts, contemporary records and exploring the ground this tour sets out to provide a greater understanding of the achievements and sacrifices made during the Italian campaign. Day 1 - Fly from UK Airport to Rome and transfer to the Hotel La Pace, Central Cassino. Day 2 - A full day study of the Monte
Cassino battles begins on the slopes of Mount Trocchio Walk 1: The St Angelo Crossing, we follow the 36 Texan Division crossing of the Rapido River & a visit to the spectacular Cassino War Cemetery in the shadow of the abbey. The afternoon starts with a visit to the Sherman tank in Cassino town before making our way to Caira and the large German War Cemetery. Finally we visit the abbey itself via Castle Hill & Monastery Hill before ending the day on Snakeshead Ridge and Point 593. Day 3 - We first visit the Amazon Bridge site that opened access to the Liri Valley before learning the story of the Lancashire Fusiliers and their VC action. A visit to the Garigliano River
Tel: 01438 816661 www.battle-honours.co.uk
crossing and Minturno War Cemetery complete our morning. After lunch we travel to Anzio via the excellent piana delle orme museum, with its huge collection of vehicles and dioramas on the Italian campaign *new for 2011* www.pianadelleorme.it and our hotel the Lido Garda, Anzio. Day 4 - Full day study of the Anzio fighting, with a visit to the immaculate Sicily Rome American War Cemetery before looking at Operation Shingle the Beach Landings, visits to the Anzio Museum, and Anzio Town Cemetery follow.
Walk Two: Wadi Country, this walk includes a visit to the Beach Head Cemetery and the site of the infamous “flyover” on the road to Aprilia. Day 5 - Leaving Anzio we make our first stop at the German Cemetery before reaching Orvieto. Here we discover the stories behind the men in
the cemetery before Walk Four – Montegabbioni; here we have the opportunity to study a classic unit action of the 5 Northants and Wiltshire Yeomanry. We then return to Rome for an early evening flight back to London.
KEY FACTS Tour Dates: 7/11 August 2011 Price per person: Price £539:000 per person B&B sharing a twin room £100:00 Single Supplement.
Hotel: 3* Hotel Beatus, Cambrai
NEW
DAY OF DAYS – THE 4TH NOVEMBER 1918 REVISITED This new tour focuses on an often overlooked yet critical day on the Western Front, through a series of walks we follow the line as the British and New Zealand troops attempt to forge a crossing over the River Sambre and force a conclusion to the Great War, one that had passed the same ground over four years earlier in August 1914. Clive and Julian will be guiding the tour that is based in the Hotel Beatus, Cambrai and places are limited to just 15. Day 1 – Travel from London via Dover
& Calais to our hotel in Calais, stop enroute at the Vis-en-Artois Memorial where the missing from the Sambre Crossing are commemorated. Day 2 – Walk 1: Chapelle Rouge Walk – from the village of Catillon where the 38th Division assaulted and secured the crossing point, to their left the 1st Division, regular soldiers that had crossed the same ground in retreat in August 1914 advanced, crossed the river, we learn of Lt Col Dudley Johnson VC commanding the Royal Sussex Regiment and end on the Chapelle Rouge crossroads where the divisional memorial stands today. Lunch can be taken at a nearby estaminet
men did on the day of battle, we also see the spot where Edward Campion Vaughan was decorated before ending on the river itself Lunch can be taken in Landrecies Walk 4: Le Quesnoy – the afternoon walk follows the New Zealand Rifle Brigade attack on the ramparts of the village, in one of the most dramatic actions of the war we follow their assault through the town ending at the nearby CWGC
Day 4 – Mons and the Armistice, today
we follow the final advances up to Mons visiting isolated cemeteries and actions including Bavay & Maubeuge before ending the day where the final shots were fired and ending at St Symphorian Cemetery to visit the first and last casualties of the war Day 5 – Travel back to the UK from
Cambrai via Valenciennes to learn of the battle of 2 November 1918 fought by the 49th West Riding Division
FROM REDCOATS TO KHAKI WATERLOO, MONS & LE CATEAU
An ever popular journey through 99 years of history, based in the Cathedrale Hotel, central Tournai we study the defensive actions of Waterloo, Mons, Audregnies, Le Cateau, Laundrecies and Etreux. This unique viewpoint on history provides the opportunity through a series of walks to consider the leadership, tactics and actions of The Duke of Wellingtons army in 1815 and Sir John French's BEF almost a century later. From the drama of the charge of the Union Brigade and the battle within a battle that was Hougamont Farm, to the legendary defence of the canal bank at Nimy and the heroic stand at Etreux this tour studies battles adorning the regimental colours to this day. Day 1 - Travel from the UK to our tour base of historic Tournai. Day 2 - Our full Waterloo day starts at Wellington’s crossroads where we learn how to form squares to meet cavalry and infantry attacks followed by a study of the fighting at La Haye Saint farm. Next we visit Napoleon’s HQ followed by a walk across the field of battle from the Imperial Guard Memorial to the Lion Monument. After lunch we climb the Lion Mound for a spectacular view of the battlefield. A visit to the atmospheric panoramic is followed by a walk around Hougamont Farm.
We end the day with a visit to the Museum now housed in Wellington’s HQ and the church, now a moving shrine to the fallen of Waterloo Day 3 - A comprehensive study of the Battle of Mons, starting at Casteau where the first shots rang out and
Walk 2: Ors, this most famous of villages connected with the battle is walked thoroughly, we see the spot where Wilfred Owen fell and his final resting place in the nearby CWGC, we also learn of the three Victoria Crosses awarded within the village that day and end at the WFA memorial on the bridge. Day 3 – Walk 3: Landrecies, we approach the town as the 25 Division
“Battle Honours pitched the tour perfectly and their professionalism was evident at every stage. The personal anecdotes brought colour and life to the history of the area and unscheduled visits were seamlessly included into the original programme. The length of each walk was carefully chosen for the mixed abilities of the group and good humour was the hallmark of the 5 days we were together. I would have no hesitation in recommending Battle Honours to those who wish to learn more about our military heritage” Peter Steel Yorkshire Branch WFA Member
PRICE AS LAST YEAR!
Tel: 01438 816661 www.battle-honours.co.uk
cavalry clashed we the head for the canal bank at Nimy to learn of the defence by the Royal Fusiliers. Next to Obourg, here we study the Middlesex action at the railway station followed by a visit to the small military museum in the town centre. Our afternoon is spent at Binche Crossroads, the unique St Symphorian Cemetery and finally a moving study of the rearguard action at Elouges/Audregnies by the Norfolk’s, Cheshire’s and 9th Lancers. Day 4 - Continuing the retreat we today walk the battlefield of Le Cateau, starting at Troisvilles we follow the line held by the 5th Division past the lone tree to the positions held by the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry where 2 VC’s were awarded. We then continue to the Suffolk Regiment Memorial commemorating the battle where over the BEF suffered over 7,000 casualties. A far larger battle than Mons but often
overlooked we end with a visit to the large Anglo German cemetery on the crossroads at the centre of the battlefield. The afternoon includes a study of the affair at Landrecies and ends with a comprehensive look at the Royal Munster Fusiliers stand at Etreux, one of the most gallant episodes in British military history. Day 5 - Travel back to the UK.
KEY FACTS Tour Dates: 4/8 September 2011 Price per person: £539:00 sharing a twin room B&B £100:00 Single Supplement. Hotel: 3* Hotel Cathedrale, central Tournai
WALKING WIPERS ARMISTICE TOUR
KEY FACTS
This year's tour takes us from The Bluff to St Julian as we follow five walks to discover the stories and memories of the immortal Salient. From the origins of the campaign in December 1914 at Gheluvelt through to the muddy November fighting in the shadow of the Passchendaele Ridge, this comprehensive small group walking tour is a must of anyone with an interest in the Ypres Salient.
Tour Dates: 14/19 October *5 night break Price per person: £890:00 per person sharing or £110 single supplement inclusive of return flights and 5 nights’ accommodation
Hotel: *3 B&B throughout
Day 1 - Travel from the UK to our mainstay hotel in Dixsmuide.
Each traveller will receive a complimentary signed copy of Gordon’s book Wellington – A Military Life
NEW
THE SPANISH ULCER - WELLINGTON IN THE PENINSULA 1809 – 1812 It was Napoleon who called it the Spanish Ulcer, a haemorrhaging of men, money and assets that could have been put to far greater use elsewhere. The Peninsula War, part of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic world war, saw up to 323,000 French troops opposed by a tiny British army and their Portuguese and Spanish allies commanded by Arthur Wellesley, later the first Duke of Wellington. In this tour we will walk some of those battles and discuss the men, the tactics and the weapons of this important peripheral of what, until the events of 1914-18 was known as ‘The Great War’. We are thrilled that Major Gordon Corrigan MBE, a biographer of Wellington’s Military Career has agreed to lead this new tour. Day One - Fly to Madrid, coach to Talavera, hotel in Talavera, talk ‘The Peninsula War – the Background’
Day Four - Am: Walk the siege and capture of Ciudad Rodrigo by Wellington 8 – 19 Jan 1812.
Day Two - Am: Walk the Battle of Talavera, 28 July 1809, Wellesley’s first battle in Spain
Pm: Travel to Salamanca by coach. Free time in Salamanca. Overnight in Salamanca (two nights)
Pm: Travel to Ciudad Rodrigo by coach via the bridge at Arzobispo, scene of the delaying action during the withdrawal from Talavera on 8 August 1809. Hotel in Ciudad Rodrigo (two nights).
Day Five - Walk the Battle of Salamanca, 22 July 1812, the seminal battle of the war, after which the French were always on the back foot. Overnight at Salamanca.
Day Three – Am: Walk the Portuguese
border fortress of Almeida, besieged by the French in 1810. Pm: Walk the Battle of Fuentes d’Onoro 3-5 May 1811, when Wellington stopped Marshal Massena’s attempt to relieve Almeida. Overnight in Ciudad Rodrigo.
PRICE AS LAST YEAR!
KEY FACTS Tour Dates: 8/12 November 2011 Price per person: £539:00 per person sharing a twin room B&B, £100:00 Single Supplement.
Hotel: *3 Hotel Pax Best Western, Dixsmuide
Day Six - Travel to Madrid via the French retreat at Alba de Tormes and Garcia Hernandez where the King’s German Legion broke a French square. Fly back to UK
“Just a short note to let you know how much I enjoyed this year's tour. The cold, rain, wind and mud were just the right touch. How did you manage to arrange the right weather? It gave me a new appreciation for what the boys suffered so long ago and still did thier job in spite of it. I returned to nice balmy San Francisco weather on Saturday night. Quite a change from the old front line!” Gloria Mendez – San Francisco, USA
Tel: 01438 816661 www.battle-honours.co.uk
Day 2 - Walk 1: Zillebeke to Hellfire Corner, starting in Larch Wood Cemetery we walk through the village of Zillebeke following in the footsteps of John Glubb before passing the location of China Wall duckboard track and ending the walk at Hellfire Corner to here the story of this most infamous spot on the "old front line" Lunch can be taken in Central Ypres
Walk 2: The Frezenburg Ridge, one of our favourite walks, from Railway Wood (RE Tunnellers Grave CWGC) we cross to the edge of Franzenburg Ridge, we head east learning of the 1915 & 1917 battles in this area visiting the isolated PPCLI memorial and ending at the Scottish Memorial atop the Ridge Day 3 - Walk 3: following the 58th London Division assault on Poelcapelle we also cover tanks warfare in the salient, the 29th Division & 63rd RND assaults in the area eventually ending up back at Varlet Farm. Lunch will be taken at Varlet Farm Walk 4 - The Irish at
Messines - starting at Lone Tree Cemetery we follow the 36 Ulster Division advance on the 7 June 1917, after passing Spanbroekmolen and Peckham Crater we turn our attention to the 16 Irish Division advance arriving at Witjschate Cemetery and drive up to the Irish Peace Tower to end our day. An evening visit to the moving Crest Farm Torchlight Ceremony will be taken Day 4 - We head into Ypres for the services and commemorations under the Menin Gate, after lunch we will head up to Zonnebeke for the excellent Great War Book Fair before under taking our final walk - Walk 5 - Potijze from Half Moon Trench we see a wartime OP before entering the village and heading east to follow the advances of July 1917. Tracing Oxford Road we visit the adjacent cemetery before ending at the memorial to the 50th Northumbrian Division Day 5 - we head back to the UK via the Neiupoort Memorial for a study of Operation Strandfest, the German attack July 1917
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.battle-honours.co.uk Email: enquiries@ battle-honours.co.uk Tel: 01438 816661 Battle Honours Ltd PO Box 74 Knebworth SG3 6EB
PRIVATE GROUPS & SOCITIES BATTLE HONOURS - 2012 TOUR PROGRAM – A SNEAK PREVIEW..... We understand how 21st century life requires you to plan ahead, with that in mind here are our plans for 2012 and whilst the exact routes and itineraries will be confirmed as the months unfold the dates & destinations will remain the same;
April 8/12
Western Front Walks (Somme & Ypres Walking Tour)
New routes and old favourites for 2012
May 6/11
Gallipoli I (Gallipoli Walking Tour)
The most comprehensive Gallipoli tour available
May 27/31
Walking Verdun
A return to this incredible battlefield with five walks across the ground
June 16/21
The War Underground (Tunnellers on the Western Front)
Mike Sheil’s signature tour looking at the tunnelling war
July 8/12
Over there! (St Mihiel Salient & Belleau Wood Tour)
*New Tour* A chance to follow in the footsteps of the Doughboys
July 22/27
Tanks! (Somme,Ypres, Cambrai & 1918 armoured actions)
A chance to study the evolution of tank warfare on the Western Front
August 4/9
Redcoats to Khaki (Waterloo/Mons & Le Cateau Walking Tour)
Our popular annual tour to follow the armies of 1815 & 1914
September 2/6
Raids! (Zeebrugge 1918 & Dieppe 1942 Tour)
*New Tour* A detailed study of these two raids in two wars through a series of walks
September 15/21
Gallipoli II (Gallipoli Walking Tour)
Our autumn tour to Gallipoli, now in its sixth year
October 7/11
The American Civil War
*New Tour* A walking tour of Gettysburg and beyond led by Kirk Drew
November 8/12
Ypres Armistice Tour
Our winter walking tour of the Ypres Salient to coincide with the Armistice
Register your interest today – enquiries@battle-honours.co.uk
Over the last seven years Battle Honours has established a proven track record of providing tours for groups and societies from a variety of backgrounds, the key to this success is flexibility, we plan the tour at every turn to meet your needs and requirements. Pick-ups, mode of transport, itinerary and type of accommodation are all in your control, from one to one tours up to 100 we have the infrastructure and experience to take the stresses of organising tours away from you yet deliver the product you expect with often a complimentary place for a group leader. Battle Honours as a UK registered company providing comprehensive, specialist insurance cover for groups; we can facilitate guest lecturers, participation in ceremonies of remembrance and of course encourage members of the group to make additional visits of personal interest. In effect we offer a bespoke tour without a bespoke price tag, whether you are a military unit, school, Western Front Branch, Rotary Association, British Legion Branch or a group of like minded friends contact us today to see how we can help you arrange the memorable tour you deserve.
Tel: 01438 816661 www.battle-honours.co.uk
TERMS & CONDITIONS Your Commitment to us 1.
Your Holiday Contract. At the time of asking for a booking to be made on your behalf you must complete and sign a booking form agreeing to accept the terms and conditions as set out below.
2.
Deposits and Payment. No booking can be accepted unless accompanied by a deposit of £100 per person travelling. Payment of the outstanding balance is due 6 weeks before departure. Payment of the outstanding balance will be due without further notice. If the final balance is not made by the due date the Company (Battle Honours Ltd) reserves the right to treat your booking as cancelled and you could be liable to pay cancellation charges in accordance with our cancellation scales set out below.
3.
Prices. Prices set out at the time of booking maybe subject to variation.
4.
If you change your booking. If you want to alter any of the travel arrangements specified on your booking form after paying the deposit or full amount, we will do all we can to accommodate your needs. An alteration fee of £25 per person will be charged for any such change to cover administration fees, except within 8 weeks of departure when the change will be treated as a cancellation not as an alteration.
5.
Cancellations. If you wish to cancel your tour after your booking has been confirmed you must inform the company in writing as soon as possible. The date of cancellation is treated as the date it is received in writing. The company reserves the right to charge you a cancellation fee based on the following scales.
Notice period 0-14 days 15-28 days 28-42 days 42-56 days More than 56 days
Cancellation fee 100% 75% 50% 25 % Deposit.
No refunds for cancellations made on or after departure date can be given. 6.
Insurance. It is a condition of all bookings with the company that adequate Personal travel holiday insurance cover is taken out by all clients. Proof of cover will be required on the booking forms.
7.
Complaints. Naturally we hope and expect that your tour with us will not give cause for any dissatisfaction. Should you wish to make a complaint, please do so in writing to the company as soon as possible after the Tour. Any matter which gives rise to complaint must first be raised at the time, to the Company or Hotel concerned or as soon as practicable after the event.
8.
Your Responsibilities. You and your party must have valid passports and visas. We are not liable for any cost or delay incurred by failing to meet these requirements. You are responsible for the behaviour of yourself and all your party. We reserve the right to remove any of the party from the tour at any stage if their behaviour or demeanour is disruptive , dangerous, or annoying to other travellers or the Company . No refund or payment of any costs incurred will be made under these circumstances.
BATTLE HONOURS LTD, PO Box 74 Knebworth SG3 6TH Tel - 01438 816661 www.battle-honours.co.uk Email enquiries@battle-honours.co.uk
Our Commitment to you 9.
Your Holiday. We will arrange the various aspects of your tour as confirmed to you. Included items will be as per our brochure and website. Unless stated, this will include travel from agreed departure points, hotels on a bed and breakfast basis and scheduled museum entry fees.
10. If we change your Tour. It is unlikely that we will have to make changes to your holiday but some changes are occasionally unavoidable. You will be informed of any major changes as soon as possible. If the change is major (e.g involves a departure delay or return of more than 12 hours or a change of Hotel to a lesser standard ) you will have the choice of the following A. Accepting the revised arrangements B. Cancelling. If you choose option B you will be offered a full refund. Force majeure. This means we will not pay you any compensation if we have to cancel or change your tour due to unforeseen and unusual circumstances beyond our control which could not have been avoided. This includes War, riots, terrorist activity, industrial action , fire, adverse weather conditions and technical problems with transport. 11. Travel Timings. Channel crossings and other travel timings are given as a guide only and are subject to change by the carrier’s procedures, often at the last minute. 12. Conditions of Carriage. When you travel by Rail, sea or Coach the carriers Conditions of Carriage will apply to your journey. 13. Law and Jurisdiction. The contract between the Company and the client incorporating our quotation, these booking conditions and our booking confirmation will be governed by English Law and both parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.