Fromelles & Pozieres (19 to 26 July 2026: 110th Anniversary)

Day 1: Sunday, 19 July 2026 - Fromelles (110 years)

Meet at Hotel Novotel Suites Gare Lille Europe at 8:30am for a 9:00am start. Select 'Early Arrival' accommodation to ensure you don't miss the bus!

We are straight into the action with a battlefield walk at the site of one of Australia’s darkest days during the Great War: Fromelles. The ‘Cobber’ memorial and the unique ‘VC Corner’ cemetery are poignant reminders of the bravery and sacrifice displayed by the Anzacs in their first major battle on the Western Front. We will visit the sombre 'Pheasant Wood' burial site and the cemetery and museum. We then head north to walk the ground at Messines and follow the attack of 7 June 1917. Venturing through Ploegsteert ‘Plug Street’ Wood we visit further sites of significance, before arriving in the town of Ypres. We enjoy a 'Welcome' dinner together this evening. We stay in Ypres for the evening.

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Day 2: Monday, 20 July 2026

This day finds us on the road to Passchendaele with an amazing battlefield walk through ‘Polygon Wood’ to the 5th Australian Division Memorial, and the Buttes New British Cemetery. A visit to the very well done Passchendaele 1917 Museum is followed by a battlefield walk following the ‘Battle of Broodseinde Ridge’. A sobering visit to the magnificent Tyne Cot gives you an indication of the severity of the fighting for the ridges during the Third Battle of Ypres. After further adventures, we later head to the Menin Gate for the ‘Last Post’ ceremony where you will have the opportunity to lay a wreath. We stay in Ypres for the evening. Best pack your bags as we will be farewelling Ypres tomorrow.

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Day 3: Tuesday, 21 July 2026

It is a real treat to start the day with a visit to ‘Talbot House’ in the town of Poperinge, just west of Ypres. The Anzacs were frequent visitors to this oasis behind the lines where they could forget about the war for a while and rest. We then gear up and head down to the relatively unknown (to many Aussies in any case), ‘Lys’ front. In the turbulent days of the German 1918 ‘Spring Offensive’ the enemy threatened the communications centre town of Hazebrouck. It was here that the 1st Australian Division joined their Allies, and played a part in stopping the Germans. The Anzacs remained here until late July 1918; during which time they were involved in numerous actions at Meteren and Merris. We will also visit Vimy Ridge, and pay a visit our repsects to our gallant Canadian cousins, eh. We stay in Arras for the evening.

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Day 4: Wednesday, 22 July 2026 

As the Germans fall back, we continue our follow up of the Australian attacks on the 'Hindenburg Line' in March through to May 1917. After capturing Bapaume, the Australians began their attacks to capture the ‘out-post’ villages of Lagnicourt and Noreuil on the road to Bullecourt. We will walk the ground at Bullecourt and explore the two battles fought by the Anzacs and British in April and May 1917 respectively, the latter being successful, albeit costly. A visit to the Jean Letaille 1917 Museum in Bullecourt is a must before we head east and the fighting of 1918. With the fall of Peronne, the fighting would now head east of the Somme to areas little-known by many Aussies. The Australians of the 4th Division captured the ‘out-post’ line of fortified villages, including Le Verguier. The 4th Australian Division Memorial is at the extent of these great victories, near the ‘Grand Canal’. We will then walk the ground following the last Australian battles to capture the Hindenburg Line. We stay in Arras for the evening.

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Day 5: Thursday, 23 July 2026 - Pozières & Mouquet Farm (110 Years)

We head back to mid-July 1916 and the town of Albert (Al-bare) on our way to the Somme front. The 1st Australian Division, largely unaware of the catastrophe unfolding at Fromelles, marched through on their way to capture the village of Pozières. We will follow them closely with visits to ‘Lochnagar Crater’, ‘Sausage Gulley’ and beyond Contalmaison to the 23 July 1916 attack line where they waited to attack over 110 years ago. Further visits in the ‘Pozières Sector’ include the 1st Australian Division Memorial, the remains of the German blockhouse, ‘Gibraltar’, the ‘Windmill’, and the attacks on ‘Mouquet Farm’. We stay in Arras for the evening. Best pack your bags as we will be farewelling Arras tomorrow.

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Day 6: Friday, 24 July 2026

The winter of 1916/1917 was the worst on record and the New Year brought fresh hell for the Anzacs in the Flers and Gueudecourt sectors. Costly attacks at ‘Stormy Trench’ saw the 15th Battalion denied by poor planning and vicious counter-attacks, only to see the 13th Battalion launch a better-planned and successful attack several days later that saw Harry Murray win the Victoria Cross. We then follow up the Germans in late February 1917 as they begin withdrawing to the ‘Hindenburg Line’.

The costly battles of 1916 ensured that the name ‘Somme’ would remain synonymous with death and sheer misery. This was amply demonstrated by the brutal fighting for Delville ‘Devil’s’ Wood where the South African memorial is located. The New Zealanders were in action at Flers and as the weather began to turn, and the Somme offensive ran out of steam, more horrific battles took place in ‘The Maze’ where the Aussie Battalions floundered in ‘Flers mud’.

We will walk the battlefields that saw the German Spring Offensive halted in April 1918. Dernancourt was the scene of some particularly horrendous fighting that saw the Anzacs stretched to breaking point. On Good Friday 1918, the 11th Brigade halted the Germans above Sailly-le-Sec with devastating fire that shattered the enemy waves and prevented an advance on Amiens. The 3rd Australian Division Memorial overlooks this battlefield, nestled between the Rivers Ancre and Somme. We stay in Amiens for the evening.

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Day 7: Saturday, 25 July 2026

Every Anzac spent some much needed rest time exploring the towns and villages behind the lines. Amiens was a major communications centre and the objective for the Germans in 1914 and again in 1918. The young Australian soldiers were billetted in many of the surrounding towns on their way to the Somme in 1916 and one of these was Naours. The magnificent underground city of caves contains over 1,000 names of Anzacs inscribed on the walls for all eternity. We will visit the museum in the charming village of Vignacourt which is home to the Thuillier collection of photographs that feature many Australians, the majority of which remain unidentified. A visit to General John Monash's headquarters at Bertangles is also a must. We will enjoy a traditional lunch in Amiens, before exploring the the 13th century Gothic cathedral that so enthralled the young Anzacs. Many Australian letters home spoke of their wanderings about the town, before strolling along the Somme canal and enjoying a coffee (or something stronger) and maybe some egg & chips in one of the many estaminets or cafe's. We stay in Amiens for the evening.

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Day 8: Sunday, 26 July 2026

We head to the Australian National Memorial and the Sir John Monash Centre (SJMC), and explore the 25 April 1918 ‘Recapture of Villers-Bretonneux’. We will head to Adelaide Cemetery where the 'Unknown Australian Soldier' was exhumed, and a visit to the ‘Victoria School’ and Franco-Australian Museum is a special moment. We then discover Monash's brilliant capture of Le Hamel in the famous 4 July 1918 attack with the 'Yanks'.  

Our tour concludes in Amiens this afternoon. (see 'Late Departure' accommodation if you are planning to stay a little longer).

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The letters refer to:

(B) Breakfast included.
(L) Lunch included.
(D) Dinner included.