Tour commemorates Battle of the Somme

A tour which allows people the opportunity to visit a grave of either personal or special interest, and many of the cemeteries which lie along the River Somme, is being organised by Poppy Travel, the official travel arm of the Royal British Legion which this year is marking its 90th anniversary.

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, the British Army suffered 60,000 casualties and by the end of the Great War it would be responsible for a third of all British fatalities on the Western Front.

‘Peronne – Sacrifice on the Somme’ is a Journey of Remembrance; it will be led by an expert battlefield guide and take people through the French countryside stopping at Arras, then on to Peronne in the Western Somme valley. Here there is a special drinks reception at the Historial de la Grande Guerre Museum which is followed by dinner.

The second day sees a tour of the battlefield area and then a wreath laying ceremony at the Thiepval Memorial to the missing.

The two day tour departs on 22 August and is run in conjunction with Battlefield Tours by Leger Holidays and costs £229 per person sharing, £15 single room supplement. This includes coach travel throughout, accommodation, breakfast, dinner and packed lunch.

Also in attendance will be the Royal British Legion Support Group. This consists of a National Officer of the Legion, a Standard Bearer and medic.

For more information visit: poppybattlefields.co.uk