Christmas Truce

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Throughout the years of bitter fighting, the destruction and loss of life and one single event stood out as a beacon of humanity.

As the dawn broke on Christmas Day 1914, it was the sound of singing and not that of gunfire which was heard across No Man’s Land. For a while, brief though it might have been, the fighting actually stopped. Each year Anglia marks this momentous event with a unique programme.

Centring on a reenactment of the 1914 Christmas Truce, led by actors taking on the personae of men who witnessed this remarkable event, this tour not only allows your students an opportunity to discover the realities of life in the trenches for themselves but gives them the opportunity to talk and question men whose lives were irrevocably changed as a consequence of what they experienced that day.

With tours running annually from mid November to mid December each year there is only limited availability. So you are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

 

Suggested Itinerary

Fully guided 3-Day Somme and Ypres
Day 1: The Outbreak of War; First and Second Battles of Ypres 1914/15
Day 2: Battle of the Somme 1916
Day 3: Battle of Messines; Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) 1917; Ludendorff Offensive 1918

No Man’s Land

ANGLIA remains the only operator able to offer the unique hands-on ‘No Man’s Land experience’. Adding this to your Great War itinerary will mean your students attend a night-time briefing on the role of a sentry and the purpose of a trench raid.

Entering a simulated trench system they will be asked to identify each sound in turn before deciding whether the movements they hear are a friendly patrol coming home or the enemy about to attack.

Themes

  • Causes of the Great War
  • The Western Front
  • The ‘actualities of war’ – the experience of soldiers on the Western Front
  • Kitchener’s Army – the Pals Battalions
  • The relationship between Officers and men
  • The development of warfare – tactics and technology in the Great War
  • The role of the Generals, in particular the Haig Debate
  • The impact of the Great War

If you are interested in booking a tour or would like further information please contact us.