THE WESTERN FRONT
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE POETS WW1
SAMPL ITINERA E RY
Visit the Western Front with us to see how first-hand accounts, whether in poetry or prose, add another dimension to the story of events of the Great War. Our tour is not an academic study of works of literature. Instead it interestingly sets the poems and writings into context by taking you to locations on the Western Front where the authors, some known but others less well-known, experienced the events that would form the basis of their work. The Great War has been referred to as a very ‘literary’ war. Just as today’s soldiers use the internet and produce blogs, so the soldiers of the Great War felt a need to leave a record of what they were living through. They sent home not just letters and left us diaries and poems. This tour is an exciting opportunity to touch the works in the places as the writers reach out to us across the years.
Sample itinerary for personal & group tours
Dates
Available year round
£POA per person
DAY ONE 1914 AND 1915: THE YPRES SALIENT Depart London for Dover and the P&O Ferry crossing to Calais. Lunch on the ferry at own expense. Once across the Channel we travel to the Ypres area, hearing en route poems of August and September 1914, written before the realities of war began to bite. Our first stop is at Gheluvelt where we discuss the soldiers of 1914 and hear about the stirring counter-attack of the Worcesters in October 1914. Driving then past Vancouver Corner and the Breton Memorial we hear of the Gas Attack of April 1915, and reactions to it, and then visit Essex Farm where Major John McCrea wrote perhaps the most famous poem of the War: In Flanders Fields. We make our way to our hotel in Ypres, where there will be a short period of free time before attending the Ceremony of the Last
Post at The Menin Gate. Return to the hotel for dinner and the remainder of the evening free. Accommodation: Ypres Meals: D
DAY TWO 1915 AND 1916: PLOEGSTEERT WOOD AND THE SOMME After breakfast in the hotel, we check out and collect a packed lunch. Our first stop will be at the German Trenches at Bayernwald where we will discuss Trench Warfare generally and hear poems relating to life in them. Moving on we stop at Ploegsteert Wood and see where Roland Leighton wrote his very moving poem Villanelle. Then we head south to The Somme, and our first stop at
Serre, the site of the sad fate of the Accrington Pals and the Sheffield City battalions. Here we visit the Sheffield Memorial Park and Railway Hollow Cemetery, and listen to poems written about and by the volunteers. Moving back to the road we see the site of the Heidenkopf and hear about the exploits of the Birmingham Territorials followed by the experience of Wilfred Owen in January 1917 which led to the poem The Sentry. From there we move to the Ulster Tower where we hear about the exploits of the 36th (Ulster) Division on 1 July 1916 and are also able to look across to the trenches known by Edmund Blunden. Then it’s on to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, where we tell the stories of the several poets whose names are commemorated there. We then head to our More itinerary on the following page
THE WESTERN FRONT
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE POETS WW1
hotel in Peronne; free time in the evening and dinner at own expense in the local area. Accommodation: Peronne Meals: B L
DAY THREE 1916 AND 1917: THE SOMME AND CAMBRAI After breakfast in the hotel we depart with a packed lunch. We return to the Somme and visit Devonshire Trench and the grave of Noel Hodgson, whose poem Before Action foretold his death. We then head for Mametz where we tell the tales of the Welsh Battalions that fought in this area, and of the two poets, Siegfried Sasson and Robert Graves, who were subalterns in the 2nd Royal Welsh Fusiliers. After a brief visit to Delville Wood, we then head back across the River Ancre to the Munich Trench and the site of the last British attack of the Battle of the Somme, on 18 November 1916. We hear about the misfortunes of the 11th Border Regiment and the 16th and 17th Highland Light Infantry, and then spare a thought for the soldiers who came after them and held those trenches during the coldest weather for
years: Wilfed Owen was here with his platoon in January 1917. We will break for picnic lunch in Auchenvillers before leaving the Somme and heading towards Cambrai. We follow the advance of the tanks, ending up at the Tank Memorial at Flesquieres. We then return to our hotel in Peronne; free time in the evening. There will be a group dinner tonight. Accommodation: Peronne Meals: B L D
DAY FOUR 1918: THE HINDENBURG LINE AND THE SAMBRE CANAL Breakfast in the hotel and then check out. Load baggage. For our final day we follow the advances of the ‘Hundred Days’, visiting Bellenglise and Riqueval Bridge before heading for Ors and the Sambre Canal. We see the Foresters Cottage where Owen spent his last night and visit his grave. We then head for home via the P&O Ferry crossing to Dover. Accommodation: None Meals: B
DATES
TWIN / DOUBLE ROOM
SRS*
Year round
£POA
£POA
per person
• Per person based on twin/double share • Subject to currency fluctuation & confirmation at time of booking * Single Room Supplement
INCLUDES • P&O Ferry Dover to Calais return • Luxury mini coach with DVD and air conditioning throughout tour • 1 night in Ypres • 2 nights in Peronne • Breakfast daily • 2 packed lunches • 2 dinners • Military historian and experienced guide throughout tour originating in London • Dedicated tour webpage including details of accommodation and tour • Links including original film footage, images and historical background • Group forum with photo gallery where group members can ask your guide questions • We will provide an anthology of the poems and extracts to be covered as well as background notes on the places we visit. COSTS DO NOT INCLUDE • Meals unless indicated in the itinerary • Beverages • Entry to museums EXTRAS We are pleased to arrange the following: (Subject to additional charges) • Transport from home town to London or Dover via train or flights • Pre or post tour accommodation in London or Dover • Single supplements TERMS & CONDITIONS • £100 Per Person deposit required to confirm booking • Final Payment 10 weeks prior to departure • Please see website for full Terms & Conditions
For enquiries or booking please contact:
tours@spiritofremembrance.com or call 01634 233785