Decades

Mark Appleby
Apr 20
2 min read

So, 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of our first tour to the D-Day beaches in Normandy, and we're heading back to France again, with a return visit to Arras.

This year we're up to a group of six, with Moggy and Greeny returning to the fold and joining myself, Pete, Jason and Jon on another Eurostar jaunt.

With it being ANZAC Day on the Friday, a large part of our itinerary on the Saturday will cover the Australian sector around the Somme region, as well as a tour of the recently-opened trench system in Thiepval Wood.

Sunday sees us head out towards Cambrai and the scene of the 1917 assault on the Hindenberg Line which featured the first successful large-scale tank attack, with the metal monsters breaking through the deep lines of barbed wire to clear the way for the supporting infantry.

We're back at the same hotel in Arras, very close to the Place de Heros square with its fine selection of bars and restaurants.

Our tour guide this year is Battlefield Exploration's owner Wouter.

Bring on the Tripel Karmeliet!

Full itinerary:

Saturday, April 26: Somme and ANZACs

Morning: Sunken Lane, and Beaumont-Hamel Cemetery Hawthorn Ridge Crater and Cemetery No.1 (one Driffield casualty) Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and woods/trenches tour Lunch stop = Albert Afternoon: Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Fouilloy Sir John Monash Centre – Australian memorial museum Australian Corps Memorial Park

Sunday, 27 April – 1917 and Tanks Morning: Brown's Copse Cemetery, Roeux (two Driffield casualties) Bullecourt 1917 Museum Rocquigny-Equancourt Road CWGC (one Driffield casualty plus Jason’s great-uncle, Signaller Harry Milnes, Royal Garrison Artillery) Gouzeaucourt New British Cemetery (two Driffield casualties) Lunch stop = Cambrai Afternoon: Monument of the Nations Cambrai Tank 1917 Museum Flesquières Hill British Cemetery Cambrai Memorial, Louverval (one Driffield casualty) Back in Arras: Carriere Wellington guided tour