Thread: WW1 battle site guides.

Can any one advise of any good sites/guides for touring WW1 battle sites.
OH and myself are off to France/Belguim for a week end of the month and plan to visit WW1 and Normandy.

As the OH has an interest in Normandy I have been tasked with organising the WW1 side of it.

I went to Ypres with the school 16 years ago and went to Tyne Cot and a reconstruction of the trenches. That's all I can remember, although I know we must have done more.

I have had a look on interent but so many sites, just wondering if anyone has any experience of going or a good site for advice.

Not really looking for guided tours as need to keep costs down. We are going by van, so if can't find camping or B&B can sleep in the back.

Thanks
Spanner

I have no idea of good sites and my geography is shocking so I have NO idea how far apart these places all are as I went with the school as well so we were just driven around.

Vimy Ridge. There are preserved trenches, and you can have a guided tour of the tunnel system, which is very interesting.

Sanctuary Wood is possibly where you went with the school (museum and muddy trenches).

Menin Gate is a must (but you probably already have that down).

Beaumont Hammel.

Delville Wood.

Thiepval.

Me and my husband are hoping to go over to the WW1 battlefields when he gets back from his long, sunny holiday. He has never been and I really want to go back.

Do you have specific areas (battlefields, memorials etc) in mind? Is there something specific you would like to see?

If he is organising the Normandy side, I assume that you are doing the logistics for the Somme and Ypres Salient?

Thanks for replies.

South - It was probably the best school trip I went on, shame I can't find any details of it. Like you always wanted to go back, when I went with the school my nan asked me to look for the grave of her brother. I could not find and always wanted to go back to have a proper look. Sadly she died this year so even though its too late would be nice to have a proper look.
I know should spend more time researching, but due to only just booking the ferry, due to OH returning from his own sunny trip, I had no idea of timing etc. Thanks for the places I will add them to list and see where they are on a map.

Soleil - You assume right about Somme and Ypres Salient being down to me, although if you have any normandy advice most appreciated also!. More time is being planned for Normandy.
I guess we need the things you must see guide to Ypres and Somme, Tyne Cot is one place I would like to go back to and the OH expresses interest in trenches and we both like museums.

Thanks again
Spanner

Spanner

Quick questions - do you know where your Nan's brother's grave is?

How long is your trip?

Not sure where he is buried, he emigrated to Australia, then ended up coming back to fight. she had the piece of paper which had the details, but can't find it amongst all her stuff. I think you can search online for place of burial, but not sure of his full name, he was known as Joey, but that was not his real name nor was joseph! I will need to check with my dad, but she had 7 brothers, all alot older than her.

Total trip is one week, arrive calais tues evening and go back the following tuesday evening crossing.

Thanks again for help!

If you can provide me with any details - name, place of birth, regiment, age etc., I'm happy to research him for you so that you can visit the grave when you are there - I have a few cases like this to do at the moment and I can easily look someone up for you.

If you wish, you can give me your Nan's date and place of birth and I will look up her brothers for you, based on that.

I don't know if this B&B would be of interest. They're really helpful and speak English.

http://www.varletfarm.com/en/index.htm

you can look up burial on cwwgc website - I found great uncle's grave on there
just google Commonwealth War Graves Commission and put in name

I would recommend Paschendale Museum and Flanders Field Museum in Ypres

also try posting on arrse in militaria forum - you are bound to get some good advice there as several tour guides post in there

Pongo will add them to my check it out list.

Poppy thanks for advice on Graves, museums and will have a look over on arrse later.

I have also been asked to help with normandy side now as the OH has limited interent access!

Spanner

Have you found out where your Nan's brother's grave is yet?

Originally Posted by spanner

Pongo will add them to my check it out list.

I heard about it from a friend who lives in Belgium (well, someone has to!) and I'll be staying there in October. If it's of any interest to you I'll send a sitrep.

Another museum worth a visit is the Royal Military Museum in Jubelpark, Brussel.

http://www.klm-mra.be/klm-new/engels...ks/startpagina

Soleil it turns out I got a bit mixed up after speaking to my dad. It was her uncles grave/memorial that she wanted me to find not her brothers (although her brother joey was killed in ww2 hence my confusion).

My dad thinks his surname is Bennett although looking on the cwgc site there are a few! I am going to email a cousin about it as she might know a little bit more. My dad said for years there was the piece of paper from Army which had all the details, but it went missing at some point. My dad seems to think he emigrated to Australia but then came back to join up once war had started.

I can't wait to go back home as my dad has found pictures from my Grandad in WW2 and a couple of letters he wrote back home.

Spanner

Does that mean that there are two graves/memorials you could visit (one from WW1 and one from WW2)?

I do hope that you can locate any relevant graves before you go. I've been out there twice in the last 18 months and I find gazing across the broad sweeps of the cemeteries incredibly moving. When I found my Nan's brother's grave, we were the only people there and I found myself hoping that, at some point, all the other graves would receive visits from relatives too.

Thanks for replies.

Now back online after some internet gremlins have gone.

Plans changed slightly and we spent more time in Normandy than Ypres.

We were at Normandy for the D Day anniversary which was very moving.
At Ypres went to the Flanders Field Museum for hours then to Tyne cote. Did not have much more time to do as much as wanted. Plan is though to go back to both places.

My dad when we got back mentioned 2 relatives who were killed at D Day, had I known I would have tried to find the grave/memorial.

I need to do some more research on the uncle my nan asked me to find, my dads cousin did not know much as her father never spoke about either of the world wars.

Enjoyed the trip and it has given me a little project on family history to ensure I don't forget.

Some time ago I promised to let you all know what Varlet Farm in Flanders was like. We returned from our holiday yesterday so here goes...

Varlet Farm is in Poelkapelle near Ypres (Ieper) and is located right on what was the front line. The B&B is run by the Cardoen-Descamps family and Charlotte, the mother, speaks excellent English and provides delicious apple cake and tea or coffee to all on arrival. The rooms are large, clean and comfortable. Breakfast, with many local and home-made items (ham, cheese, jam, etc.) has to be seen (and eaten) to be believed! The website address is: http://www.varletfarm.com/.

The original farm was destroyed when it was captured by the 'Hood Battalion', Royal Naval Division assisted by the Artists Rifles and the Bedfordshire Regiment. A frighteningly comprehensive collection of artifacts ploughed up over the years is on display in a small museum housed in one of the barns. Battlefield tours are run by the family and Charlotte in particular has an encyclopedic knowledge of the actions in the area.

I can't praise the place enough and thoroughly recommend it, not only as part of a WW1 battlefield tour but also as a good trans-channel overnighter (it's an hour from the tunnel and the channel ports).