Group B - Day 3 Slideshow

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Group B - Day 2 Slideshow

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Group B - Day 1 Slideshow

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Group 2 are back in England.Coach 2 is a little bit behind Coach 1 so ETA for coach 2 is 7.40.Will update if this changes.

Group A - Day3 Slideshow

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Group A - Day2 Slideshow

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Group A - Day1 Slideshow

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After a day of sightseeing and remembering,we are enjoying some ten pin bowling.

Group 2 feed the body and spirit in Amiens

We have just had a lovely meal out in Amiens and all in good spirits.Off now for a walk around the Cathedral then bedtime.

Group 1 back in Blighty!

After a whizzing through the French countryside and a brief crossing through the tunnel, we're back on British soil!

Onwards now to Oakham, with a quick stop en route. Derek our driver is making best speed.

Our ETA at school is twenty to eight this evening - 1940. Any further changes will appear here.

DGW


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Nearly in France - just about to cross in the tunnel

[Group 2 making good progress...]

Amiens Cathedral

So, having breakfasted and cleared the hotel, we departed for central Amiens and the 13th century cathedral again. This time, as well as the outside, we explored the inside - admiring the splendid architecture and absorbing the 800 years of history. That done, few could ignore the allure of the shops and cafes of Amiens, if only to warm up!
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Trip 2 has departed.Now on our way to Birchanger.

More from the German Cemetery at Fricourt

The engravings read:

1. In this cemetery rest 17,027 German soldiers, 1914-1918

2. In four mass graves rest 11,970 German soldiers, 6,477 remain unidentified.

3. A picture of two of the four mass graves.

A different story for the Fallen of the losing side...

NAC

1.

OO Names on the Thiepval Memorial

J.N. Pickering-Clarke and A.C. English

Lochnagar Crater

The final stop of the day saw us view the Lochnagar Crater. Dug by British Engineers and miners, it was right on the German front line. The explosives were detonated on the first day of the British attack on the 1st July 1916. In an explosion which could be heard back in Britain, it threw debris over 4,000 feet into the air....

That viewed, we are venturing back to the hotel for dinner and bowling this evening.

DGW
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Devonshire Cemetery

En route to the Lachnagar crater, we paused at the Devonshire Cemetery. A small, somewhat out of the way cemetery, it is a lasting symbol of the bond found between soldiers. Advancing out of their trenches, soldiers of the Devonshire Regiment were cut down by German machine gun fire from across the valley. Their surviving comrades buried them back in the trench from which they left such a short time before.

'The Devonshires held this trench. They still hold it today.'

DGW
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Fricourt German Cemetery

A quick stop at the German cemetery, for short service and a look around. A very different feel to the British cemeteries that proliferate in the area. As a sign of the time it took for the animosity to subside, it wasn't completed until 1977.
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Memorial Service for 2Lt LJA 'Jack' Dewar RMLI OO

And so on to the Ancre British Cemetery for a brief memorial service at the graveside of 2Lt Dewar, an Old Oakhamian. We remembered his sacrifice and that of other Old Oakhamians who made the ultimate sacrifice like so many men of their generation. Esther Hamilton-Ivory laid a wreath on behalf of Oakham School and the Old Oakhamians.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

DGW
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Thiepval Memorial

After a quick lunch outside the memorial visitor centre, we wandered across to the very impressive and moving Thiepval Memorial. This was officially opened in 1932 and has engraved upon it the names of the many soldiers who died around the Somme between 1915 and 1918 who have no known grave. Specifically, we tried to find the names of a number of Old Oakhamians engraved on the many panels. DGW
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Hawthorn Ridge & the Sunken Lane

So, from the Newfoundland Memorial to the Sunken Lane. This feature marked a brief pause in the advance of the Lancashire Fusiliers in July 1916, a location made all the more real by the photograph in the booklet of the Fusiliers in the very same lane... Faces staring out from the pages of history. From there, it was a short walk up to the massive crater that marks Hawthorn Ridge, the result of British miners and Engineers tunnelling for months under the German redoubt that was located there. One can only imagine the sound of blast created by over 40,000 lb of explosives.... Finally, we braved the sticky, clay-rich soils of the ridge to visit the poignant Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery. This small, isolated cemetery essentially marks the front line, one of several that do so; men buried pretty much where they were found. DGW
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Newfoundland Memorial

After a quick breakfast, it was off to the Newfoundland Memorial. Maintained by the Canadian Government, it preserves part of the battlefield from July 1916 and acts as a memorial to those who didn't return, Canadian and British. Still scarred with shell holes, the trenches can be seen clearly and in places you can walk down them. A very emotional journey, even 90 or so years on. We also briefly visited one of the cemeteries that are all too common in this area. DGW
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Eating well in France

Important to get a taste of some of Picardy's attractions, so a brewery that caters for thirsty staff and hungry pupils makes a perfect outing in Amiens.

The Comptoir du Malt gave us just what we wanted - Tasty Pizza, succulent pork and Brownies oozing chocolate with ice cream on the side.
And the staff seemed to agree with the notice on the wall...

Amiens Cathedral by night

The central arch with Oakham onlookers:

Amiens Cathedral by night

The beautiful 13th century facade

An evening in Amiens

So, after a brief stop at the hotel, it was out for food and an initial bit of sight-seeing. The food was simple yet filling, with seemingly few complaints - certainly quantity didn't seem to be a problem! Then it was on to central Amiens to view the breath-taking 13th century cathedral complete with intricate stonework and gargoyles. That done, we returned to the hotel for some well-earned rest after a long day of travelling before tomorrow's full day on a key part of the Western Front. DGW
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Welcome to the Hotel California?

Well, the Amiens Novotel actually! And the chance for a little bit of much-needed 'down time'... Amazing how exciting arriving at a new hotel in a new town is!
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Peronne - Great War Museum

So, the first stop has been made. We spent an hour or so wandering around and filling in the booklets. We learned a little more about the causes of the Great War and the technological changes made during it, useful for tomorrow's visit to the actual battlefields. DGW
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A room with a view?

The view for the next half hour or so... When the tunnel first opened, not for nothing were the customer facilities described by one of the ferry bosses as "..a loo and a light bulb.."
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Which way?

After another brief stop, we're off for the 1050 Eurotunnel shuttle to France. I guess it's this way?
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A brief encounter...

....with Birchhanger services on the M11. After a short stop, we're fed and watered and off again towards the continent. 2 hours to the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkstone for the 1050 shuttle. DGW
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We're off!

That's it! Breakfast and lunches collected, passports - yes they're all there, we're all on the correct coach, too. Bags of excitement with more than a few sleepy people. Next stop - France. Well, Birchanger services - that's a step in the right direction!
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What will the weather be like on the Somme?

The forecast for the next few days is for cloudy weather with occasional showers. Max temperatures: 7-10 degC, Wind: moderate SW.
More details:
http://www.accuweather.com/en-us/fr/picardie/amiens/quick-look.aspx
http://weather.uk.msn.com/local.aspx?wealocations=wc:FRXX0269&q=Amiens%2C+FRA

Welcome

Welcome to the Blog for the Battlefields Trip to the Somme 2011.
We are hoping to post updates and arrival times on this blog.