Pozieres British Cemetery
The Somme - 1916
Tours are generally over three days (One full day and two
half days) but can be adapted to your requirements
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The
Battle
of
The
Somme
was
designed
to
act
as
a
diversion
in
order
to
ease
the
pressure
on
the
French
army
in
the
Verdun
area.
After
a
week-long
artillery
bombardment,
it
opened
on
the
morning
of
1
July
1916
with
the
detonation
of
a
series
of
underground
mines
along
a
front
that
was
less
than
15
miles
long.
These
explosions
signalled
the
start
of
months
of
bloody
and
muddy
attrition
across
a
relatively
small area of Picardie in Northern France
The
Battle
of
the
Somme
was
one
of
the
defining
events
of
the
First
World
War
and
is
often
remembered
for
the
huge
losses
on
the
first
day
but
the
Somme
offensive
continued
over
the
following
months - a total of 141 days - and men from every part of Britain and across the Empire took part.
When
it
was
halted
in
November,
more
than
1,000,000
Commonwealth,
French
and
German
soldiers
had been wounded, captured, or killed.
•
Somme 1916 underground tunnel
museum
•
Ovillers Military Cemetery
•
The vistas of the Frontline and the
ground fought over
•
Thiepval Memorial to the Missing
•
Lochnagar Crater
•
Fricourt German Cemetery
•
South African National Memorial &
Delville Wood Cemetery
•
Pozieres British Cemetery and
Memorial
•
Newfoundland Memorial Park
•
The Sunken Lane, Beaumont Hamel
Tour Highlights
O
ur
tour
starts
from
the
historical
town
of
Albert,
a
place
in
which
soldiers
of
1916
were billeted just behind the British lines.
Most
visitors
travel
around
the
battlefields
by
car
or
bus;
however,
on
our
tours
we
rarely see other vehicles on the lanes we use to traverse the area.
Over
three
days
we
will
give
you
an
insight
from
a
different
perspective
of
this
famous
battlefield,
travelling
in
a
small
convoy
of
5-6
vehicles,
on
tracks
once
trod
by
infantry.
You’ll
receive
CB
commentary
as
we
drive
along
our
route
so
you
can
really
get
a
sense of where troops came from and what their objectives were.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at:
info@battlefieldsby4x4.com
Friday-Sunday
25-27
SEPTEMBER
Friday-Sunday
10-12
NOV
Example Itinerary:
Day 1
Welcome, introductions and briefing.
The tour starts with a guided tour of the tunnels beneath the Basilica of the town that
were used as a refuge by the civilians who remained throughout the fighting, but now
house the Somme 1916 museum. On leaving the museum we head out of town and
drive along a some tracks stopping in Mash Valley, our route then takes us near
Courcelette, Mouquet Farm and finishing the day at Thiepval Memorial to the Missing
which contains the names of more than 72,000 British and South African soldiers who
have no known grave.
Arrival time back at Albert around 17:30
We usually have a table booked for 19:30 at a well-appointed restaurant just outside
Albert. This is optional but gives you chance to relax after your journey and also get to
know each other over four delicious, typically French courses in a local restaurant.
The cost is approximately €35pp including wine.
Day 2
Meet at a local supermarket so you can stock up on fuel and provisions for the day
before setting out, using many green lanes, to venture to key areas of the battlefield.
We visit the Lochnagar Crater, caused by the detonation of 28 tons of high explosive
at 07.28 on that fateful day. We move on to Fricourt German cemetery to see how
Germany commemorates its war dead. We cover Mametz Wood and the Welsh
Dragon just before our lunch stop at Delville Wood.
In the afternoon, we travel on tracks once trod by infantry as they advanced to their
start points in the attack that saw the Tank go into action for the very first time. We
visit a German bunker and will see villages that were occupied, fought over and
liberated but in the process, were completely destroyed.
We finish the day at Pozieres British Cemetery and Memorial, normally around 17:00
Day 3
During the last day of the Tour we travel up the Ancre Valley, use tracks adjacent to
the Frontlines and visit the Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont Hamel where
preserved trenches can be seen and walked in. The landscape here hasn’t changed
in over 100 years.
We move on to the Sunken Lane, Redan Ridge and the battlefields around Serre,
land that saw intense and devastating fighting as we head via the Schwaben Redoubt
towards the final stop, close to Albert around 1pm.
(Non-contractual Tour example, subject to adaption to suit)
Tour cost will depend on the number of vehicles,
number of passengers, accomodation type and
duration.
Drop us an email to discuss options: groups@battlefieldsby4x4.com