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Belgium, France · Battlefield Tours
The journey
Embark on this 4-day pilgrimage through the significant Irish memorials and heritage sites dedicated to the soldiers who fought on the Western Front during WW1. Follow in the footsteps of a soldier or battalion of personal interest as you explore key battlefield locations including Beaumont Hamel, the Ulster Tower, and the Ypres Salient. Visit Essex Farm Cemetery, where the poem "In Flanders Fields" was written, and gain deeper insight into the Irish experience of the war through expert historical interpretation and personalised research.
Embark on this 4-day pilgrimage through the significant Irish memorials and heritage sites dedicated to the soldiers who fought on the Western Front during WW1.
From the itinerary
At a glance
Day by day
Meet the group at Paris Charles de Gaulle or Lille Eurostar with your Europe tour guide.
Drive to the Somme battlefields.
Receive an orientation at the Thiepval Memorial and Interpretation Centre. Then, set out to visit:
Beaumont Hamel preserved battlefield
Ulster Tower
Lochnagar Crater
Guillemont
Then, drive to Lille via Rue du Bois and Le Touret.
Enjoy an overnight stay in Ypres.
Receive an orientation at the Menin Gate.
Visit Flanders Fields Museum.
Enjoy lunch in the town square at your own expense.
Sightsee the battlefields of the Ypres Salient.
Visit Essex Farm Cemetery, where the poem "In Flanders Fields" was written.
Reach Messines Ridge, where the National Volunteers of the 16th (Irish) Division and 36th Ulster Division fought side by side.
Proceed to Spanbroekmoelen Peace Park and listen to the story of tunnelling.
Continue to Irish Peace Park, a memorial to the Irish who served in the conflict.
Return to your hotel.
Visit Passchendaele Zonnebeke Museum.
Have lunch in Zonnebeke.
Proceed to St Julian, site of the first chemical weapon attacks.
Reach Langemarck German Cemetery.
Listen to the story of the Irish at Passchendaele and the death of Father Doyle.
Move to Tyne Cot Cemetery.
See the grave of Private John Conlon, the youngest recorded soldier to die in the war, aged fourteen, one of four brothers from Sligo to die in the war.
Attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate.
On the way back to Paris, pay your respects to the Irish soldiers who fell on one of the bloodiest days for Ireland, 21st March 1918. The main attack of the German Spring Offensive, their gamble to win the war, fell on the Irishmen of the 16th (Irish) Division, formed initially of National Volunteers by the Home Rule politicians, and the 36th (Ulster) Division, formed from Carson's Ulster Volunteers.
Also, visit the other highlights of the remaining tour:
Epehy: the end of the 16th (Irish) Division
Racecourse Redoubt
French National Museum of the Great War, Meaux
Take the flight to Dublin.
The route
The fine print
Europe tour guide services
Research into personal stories. This is what is unique about our tours. A battlefield historian will carry out some research to find the locations relevant to individuals of interest to you. For example, we will explain the service record and cross-reference the war diaries and history books to find places where that person's unit served and even where they became a casualty.
Maps and other supporting material handout
Accommodation: We can recommend hotels and hostels to suit your preferred standards and the itinerary.
Meals: We can recommend restaurants to suit your taste and the size of your group. For large groups, we can recommend menus. We can picnic in good weather. Budget around 10-15 Euros for lunch and 25-50 Euros for an evening meal.
Guide accommodation and subsistence: Book me into the same hotel if you want me to provide informed company during the evening. Otherwise, I will stay in budget accommodation.
Transportation: This will depend on the size of your group. We can advise on and book suitable transport and drive or share the driving.
Museum entrances
This is more than a guided tour. It is an offer of a personalised visit to the battlefields of the Western Front with an itinerary tailored to your interests. We adjust the itinerary to include locations and topics that are specific to you. If you want to visit the graves of a soldier or the places where they served, we will do our best to find out the background to what happened and why. We will cover the main sites of interest to the Australian visitor, but we will do it, as far as possible, through the experiences of the people of most interest to our guests.
We charge you for the guide's time. Everything else is charged at cost to keep the cost down for you, our guests.
Happy to adjust this tour around commemorations for Armistice Day.
William Redmond MP and Father Patrick Doyle.
Logistics
Your 4 days finish where they began, in Paris.
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