FORGING OF THE NATION

2 nts London*, 1 nt Lille, 1 nt Albert, 2 nts Bayeaux, 1 nt Dieppe, 2 nts Ypres, 1 nt London*

Full package from

$3998 *

* Includes ALL taxes and service charges

Tour Highlights
Daily Itinerary
Dates & Prices
Hotel Descriptions

Young Canadians entered the Great War as representatives of a dominion. They fought and fell, but emerged as representatives of a new nation, forged during bloody battles. At the outbreak of World War II, Canadians were again amongst the first to answer the call to arms by Britain. More a pilgrimage than a tour, this trip takes you to the sites of their heroism and follows soldiers' experiences firsthand, from the trenches to the impact zone. It's a mesmerizing journey, which will leave an indelible mark.

Features

Return air Toronto/London on AC or BA
3 nts London*, minimum 3 star hotel
1 nt Lille, minimum 3 star hotel
6 nts on tour, minimum 3 star hotels
Expert driver/guide on tour
Hop-on/Hop-off London tour,
London Travel card
Sightseeing & entrances as described
All taxes and service charges.
(* or Paris includes, Hop-on/Hop off & Metro Card. One less dinner).

Meals

10 breakfasts

0 lunches

5 dinners

Flight to London

Overnight flight to London

Day 1

Explore London

Relax and enjoy London with a Visitor Travel card, Hop-on/Hop-off sightseeing tour and a 3 course dinner voucher.

Day 2 - 3

2 x

1 x

Travel to Lille

Eurostar to Lille, France. Check into your hotel, close to the rail station, and enjoy the rest of the day exploring this charming, typical French town

Day 4

1 x

Vimy Ridge

Tour Day

Meet your battlefield tour guide at Lille Eurostar station. Today we follow the western front trench line, across the Loos battlefield and on to Vimy Ridge, where it is generally agreed the Canadian Nation was forged over Easter 1917. Hear in detail how this tremendous victory was achieved, and see the magnificent memorial. Also on today's itinerary will be a visit to Courcellete, scene of savage fighting in September 1916 during the Somme, and finally the town and museum at Albert. Overnight Albert.

Day 5

1 x

Somme Battlefield

Tour Day

Today, we concentrate on the Somme battlefield. An undoubted highpoint, and one to be indelibly imprinted in the visitor's memory, will be our walking tour of the amazingly well-preserved battlefield at Beaumont Hamel (site of the Newfoundland Regiment's bloody loss of innocence). Then we follow the battle lines to Amiens before continuing on through the Normandy boscage to Bayeux for 2 nights.

Day 6

1 x

Normandy Beaches

Tour Day

We commence our visits to the Normandy Beaches fittingly with a visit to the Canadian memorial and museum at Juno Beach. We follow the battle from the initial beach landing to Caen, finding memorials and plaques en route, including Bene Cemetery, Carpique, and the town of Courseulles-sur-Mer where troops engaged in house-to-house combat before liberating it. It was at Authie, just north of the Caen-Bayeux road, where the first tank battles took place against the 12th SS Panzer Division. You'll see where Kurt Meyer's 25th SS Panzer Grenadiers encircled the Royal Winnipeg Rifles at Putot-en-Bassin, and the terrible Abbaye d'Ardenne where Canadian prisoners were shot or bayoneted to death.

Day 7

1 x

Operation Spring

Tour Day

This morning we see sites connected with Operation Spring which, other than the Dieppe raid, was the Canadians Army's costliest single operation of the Second World War. May-sur-Orne, Verrieres Ridge (the burial ground of the Black Watch where of the 320 that crossed their original start line, only 15 came back to be counted) and Tilly-la-Campagne are some of the evocative names of the day. This afternoon we go to Dieppe. Here, on 19 August 1942 five thousand troops of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, along with a thousand British troops, attacked the French port of Dieppe. The purpose was to make a successful raid on German-occupied Europe over water, and then to hold Dieppe briefly. The results were disastrous. We'll visit the local museum, Canadian cemetery, and beach battle site. Overnight Dieppe.

Day 8

1 x

Travel to Belgium

Tour Day

Today we follow the Canadians as they fought tooth and nail along the Atlantic Wall through France to Belgium. Major stops will include the fortifications around Boulogne and Calais that were captured as Canadian forces moved up the coast line, such as the Citadel, Fort Neuilly, the Cathedral Bunker, Fort Lapi, Griz Nez, the museum at Todt Battery with its immense Railway Gun. We travel on to Ypres for a 2 night stay.

Day 9

1 x

Ypres Salient

Tour Day

Today, we return to the Great War and Canadian involvement in perhaps the bloodiest of all Imperial held lines, the Ypres Salient. Here we'll visit the many sites that make this such a special area for Canadians, including Hooge, John McCrae's Essex Farm, Hill 60, the Princess Pat's memorial, St Julien, site of the first gas attack of modern warfare, Vancouver Corner, Maple Copse and Passchendaele. This evening, after dinner in the rebuilt mediaeval splendour of Ypres, you'll attend the moving nightly Last Post Ceremony at the Menen Gate.

Day 10

1 x

Travel to Lille

Tour Day

We trace the footsteps of soldiers 'on leave' from war. Our tour ends in Lille where you may catch the train back to London, (or Paris). Why not extend your stay in London or Paris?

Day 11

1 x

Transfer to Airport

Transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Day 12

Optional Extension

4 days/3 night tour - Operation Market Garden Tour will take you through Belgium and Holland, following the mighty struggle that would finally bring WW11 to an end. Relive the drama that befell, amongst others, the 1st Canadian Army. Add $1195 p.p./twin Single supplement $230 Ask for the full itinerary

= Breakfast

= Lunch

= Dinner

Departure Date	Full Package	Land & Tour	Tour Only
Mar 31, Apr 28, Sep 29	$3998*	$2840	$1995 (days 5-11)
Jun 2, 30, Aug 4, Sep 1	$4298*	$2840	$1995 (days 5-11)

DH Tour is a proud member of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario.

TICO Registration #50012768

FORGING OF THE NATION

Features

Meals

Flight to London

Explore London

Travel to Lille

Vimy Ridge

Somme Battlefield

Normandy Beaches

Operation Spring

Travel to Belgium

Ypres Salient

Travel to Lille

Transfer to Airport

Optional Extension

Important details

Hotels

Main Navigation

Other Stuff

FORGING OF THE NATION

Features

Meals

Flight to London

Explore London

Travel to Lille

Vimy Ridge

Somme Battlefield

Normandy Beaches

Operation Spring

Travel to Belgium

Ypres Salient

Travel to Lille

Transfer to Airport

Optional Extension

Important details

Hotels

Main Navigation

Other Stuff

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