YPRES SALIENT, ARTOIS, THE SOMME & VILLERS-BRETONNEUX: ANZAC Day Dawn Ceremony 25 April 2013 - The Australian War Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux commemorates the battle on the 24th/25th April 1918, when Australian and Commonwealth Soldiers liberated the town. In front of it lie the graves of over 770 Australian soldiers, as well as those of other Commonwealth soldiers and since 2008 it has been the site of the special ANZAC Day dawn service. Experience this unique event on our 5 Day ANZAC tour departing 24 April and join fellow countrymen and local townspeople to remember those who fought during the Great War at one of its most poignant sites.
Tour Inclusions:
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4 nights’ accommodation in Ypres and Amiens
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Specialist Battlefield guide/driver companion
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Mini-coach transportation throughout
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European breakfast daily
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3 x evening meals
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Commemorative gift
Included Entrance Fees:
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Hooghe Crater Trenches
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Hooghe Museum Ypres
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Wellington Tunnels
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Victoria School Museum
Countries Visited
Day 1: Lille - Ypres
From Lille, we travel along the Messines Ridge, where the New Zealand and Australian troops played a crucial role. We visit Polygon Wood, where the monument to the 5th Division stands on the pre-war rifle butte, and Tyne Cot, where the ANZACs played such an important role in the Battle of Passchendaele. We visit the Hooghe Crater Trenches and Museum as well as Hill 60, famous for the role of the Australian Tunnellers. Our first day finishes with the moving Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres. (D)
Overnight: Hotel Kasteelhof 'T Hooghe or similar
Day 2: Ypres – Artois – Amiens
Today we visit the newly-dedicated Pheasant Wood Cemetery where 250 Australian soldiers, discovered in a mass grave nearby, have recently been laid to rest. We continue our day exploring the Wellington Tunnels in Arras and learn about the battle at Bullecourt including a visit to the evocative Digger memorial. (B)
Overnight: Carlton Hotel or similar
Day 3: ANZAC Day Dawn Ceremony
It’s a very early start as we leave our hotel in time for the Dawn Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux. The service will be an unforgettable and emotive experience, which we share with the locals and fellow Australians and New Zealanders who have journeyed here to pay tribute to those brave ANZAC soldiers who fought for the town. After such an early start the rest of the day is at leisure for you to explore the town or relax as you choose. (B)
Overnight: Carlton Hotel or similar
Day 4: Amiens - The Somme - Amiens
Today we tour the front line on the battlefields of the Somme. We visit the battlefields of Pozières, the famous Windmill site and Mouquet Farm. New Zealanders will find the monument at Longueval very moving. The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing is a chilling reminder of the British Expeditionary Force losses here in 1916 – 1917. (B,D)
Overnight: Carlton Hotel or similar
Day 5: Amiens - Villers-Bretonneux – Lille
Today we visit Villers-Bretonneux and see the inspiring Australian National Memorial. The Franco-Australian Museum, housed in the Victoria School, with the words “Never Forget Australia” still proudly displayed over the school yard serve as a reminder of the perennial link between France and Australia. We continue in the footsteps of the ANZACS via the Memorial Park at Le Hamel, before returning to Lille. (B)
Tour departs at 0830hrs from and returns approximately 1730hrs to:
Meeting point at Lille Europe Station
Gare de Lille-Europe
59800, Lille, France
