Fromelles & Vimy Ridge
Today we are taken to the line between Armentières and Arras, dubbed the nursery trenches. On this day we visit sites connected with the 1915 battles of Aubers Ridge, Festubert, and Neuve Chapelle, where the Indian Army gave a magnificent account of itself, and the 1917 Battle of Arras. We see where Adolf Hitler served and the bunker he is reputed to have used as a billet. Australians will be touched at seeing the 'Cobbers' Memorial in Fromelles. Soldiers killed in the first Australian battle involvement on the Western Front and buried in mass graves have found a new resting place in the Pheasant Wood Cemetery. We cross the Loos battlefield, site of the disastrous battle of 1915. For Canadians, Vimy Ridge is undoubtedly the highlight, where we take a trench tour and spend time at the massive and imposing Vimy memorial. We also see sites in and around the pretty city of Arras connected with the huge battle of 1917. If time permits, we will see the French National memorial at Notre Dame de Lorette before returning to our Lille departure point.
