The Somme
Suggested itinerary
Fully guided 1-day tour
- Serre Road
- Auchonvillers - kit & weapon demonstration
- Ulster Tower
- Fricourt German Cemetery
- Lochnagar Crater
- Thiepval Memorial to the Missing
Fully guided 2 or 3-day tours
- Day 1: 1st July the Battle of Albert
- Day 2: Bazentin Ridge the night attack; Delville Wood; Pozieres – the use of tanks
— St Catherine’s
A Somme 1-day tour is ideal for schools wishing to gain an understanding of the battle, its consequences both on the Army and back home.
Alternatively by combining it with a visit to the Ypres or Vimy Ridge it can form part of a longer study tour.
The first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916 was the worst day in the history of the British Army. It was to be the Big Push to win the war and it was to be the battle that would make the reputation of the Kitchener Armies.
These vast Armies of volunteers, recruited on a wave of patriotism from offices, cricket and football teams, mines and factories formed the phenomena known as the “Pals Battalions”.
By last light on 1st July 1916 some 60,000 British soldiers had become casualties, with over 20,000 killed Their losses on the day were to reverberate around Britain’s Cities, towns and villages, its effects still felt in the mid 1960s.
'The Somme Defeat to Victory'
The traditional view of the Somme is that of unmitigated disaster, horrendous casualties and a failure to adapt.
However this view is not wholly borne out by the events of that summer 95 years ago.
By following the BEF beyond 1st July through subsequent weeks and months, students will see how it developed into an army equipped to win the war.
Show & Tell Sessions
Each visitor to the battle?elds of France and Flanders tries to make sense of what it must have been like for the men who were actually there. Photographs, maps and testimonials help to build up a picture. To complete it, what could be better than to give your students a chance to get inside the mind of ‘Tommy Atkins’.
Utilising a range of period equipment and weaponry, including boots, tin hat, tunic, webbing and a Lee En?eld ri?e, Anglia is able to provide students travelling with us to the Ypres Salient and the Somme, with a unique hands-on experience. This engaging session led by your Anglia guide will include a short brief on the equipment on display as well as the chance for one lucky ‘volunteer’ to don full kit.
Not only does this make for a perfect photo opportunity, it is also ideal for kinaesthetic learners as it helps them get to grips with the history.
If you are interested in adding a 'Show & Tell' session to you Battlefield Tour or would like further information please contact us.
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
Living History
A guided tour to the battlefields of the Great War is undeniably the best way for your students to begin to grasp the scale and impact of the conflict.
But there is another means to bring the realities of trench warfare to life, particularly for larger groups or younger students who cannot travel out to France or Flanders.
How about inviting ‘Tommy Atkins’ to visit you at school and having him tell your students about his experience at the front. Each of Anglia’s ‘Living History’ days is led by one of our senior guides wearing fully authentic period uniform and carrying examples of Great War weaponry.
Covering subjects such as ‘Life at the Front’, ‘Trench Routine’ or ‘Going into Action’, your guide will encourage the students to ask questions and give them the chance to handle some of the equipment
