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Poets on the Somme

Join us on this fascinating new tour looking at the war poets who fought and died on the Somme and Arras, combined with a visit to Ors, where Wilfred Owen is buried.

Holiday Itinerary

4-Day Break from only £269

• Day 1 – Local departure by coach, then onwards to Albert for a three-night stay.
• Day 2 – Poets on the Somme (included). Today we look at the war poets who served on the Somme in 1916. We start at the Thiepval Memorial and visitors centre, and on the memorial see the name of Irish poet and MP, Tom Kettle. At Ovillers we look at the sad story of poet and musician Ivor Gurney, who fought here with the Gloucestershire Regiment. At Fricourt we see where the 10th West Yorks were cut down in droves, visiting the grave of poet Victor Ratcliffe. In the afternoon we see the ground at Bois Francais where Siegfried Sassoon was awarded the Military Cross, seeing the graves of his friends at Point 110. In nearby Mansel Copse, we see the Devonshire Cemetery and discovered how Noel Hodgson predicted his own death here on 1st July 1916. At Bazentin and High Wood we follow Robert Graves, wounded here with the Royal Welch Fusiliers. We end the day at Louvencourt, and follow the story of Roland Leighton and Vera Brittain. B
• Day 3 – Poets at Arras & Cambrai (included). We look at the period 1917- 1918, with the fighting at Arras, Cambrai and on the Sambre Canal. We begin at Agny, seeing the grave of poet Edward Thomas who died on Easter Sunday 1917 during the Battle of Arras. At Bailleul Road, we visit the grave of young Jewish artist and poet Isaac Rosenberg, who fell at Arras in 1918. Near Cambrai we go to Orival Wood, where E.A. Mackintosh is buried. In the afternoon we travel to the Sambre canal where the final battle of WW1 was fought on 4th November 1918. We see where the 2nd Manchesters crossed the canal at Ors, the memorial to Wilfred Owen, and then his grave and those others who fell here that day. B
• Day 4 – To Calais, then home. B

B=Breakfast

What's Included

• Specialist Battlefields Guide.
• 2 Battlefield visits.
• 3 nights’ accommodation with breakfast.
• FREE local joining points.
• Travel by executive coach – upgrade to Silver Service available.
• Please Note: Entrance fees to museums and places of interest are at extra cost.

Upgrade to Silver Service

• Deluxe, reclining seats.
• Extra legroom.
• 3 nights’ accommodation with breakfast.
• Comfortable rear lounge.
• Porterage at your hotel.

Tour Dates
Executive Coach Tour Ref: 4FPS

Jun 4

£269

Sep 10

£279

Silver Service Tour Ref: 4FPSV

Apr 29

£299

Oct 28

£299

Prices are per person, based on two sharing. Extras: optional excursions; single room supplement £79; travel insurance from £29.95