Tour Itinerary

Day 1

Depart Ottawa on your overnight flights to London Heathrow. You will be served a dinner and a continental breakfast on board your overnight flight(s). (D)

Day 2

Maidstone 1 night

Upon arrival in London, our local guide will join us for a scenic tour of London. If time permits, we will visit The Memorial to the Merchant Marine, commemorating the sacrifice of merchant sailors during both world wars. By 1943 Canada provided 48% of escort ships for the convoys bringing vital supplies to Britain during the Battle of the Atlantic.

Afterwards we will make our way to our hotel.

Day 3

Calais 1 night

On our way to France, we will visit the Battle of Britain Memorial and Visitors Centre at Capel le Ferne overlooking the English Channel between Folkestone and Dover.

This afternoon we cross the Straight of Dover for our overnight in Calais.

Day 4

Caen 2 nights

Dieppe

Canada’s experiences in war have been marked by great triumphs but also by harsh setbacks. The Dieppe Raid during the Second World War was one of the darkest chapters in Canada’s military history. It did, however, help lead to important lessons learned.

The Dieppe Raid saw more than 6,000 men come ashore at five different points along a 16 kilometer-long stretch of heavily defended coastline. The raiding force was made up of almost 5,000 Canadians, approximately 1,000 British commandos, and 50 American Army Rangers.

While many men were lost and the raid did not meet most of its objectives, many historians feel that the lessons learned played an important role in the success of later actions. For example, the Dieppe Raid and later beach assaults contributed to improvements in amphibious landing techniques. While the cost of gaining this knowledge was steep, it likely saved many lives on the beaches of Normandy when the Allies returned to the shores of continental Western Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The men who participated in the Dieppe Raid paid a great price. Of the 4,963 Canadians who went on the mission, approximately 2,200 returned to England and many were wounded. More than 3,350 Canadians became casualties, including approximately 1,950 POWs. 916 Canadians died as a result of Dieppe on the beaches, in the air or at sea supporting the landings. Some died as German captives or of their wounds after returning to England. A total of 210 British and Americans also lost their lives.

The Dieppe Raid also took a considerable toll on the ships and aircraft that supported the assault. The campaign saw the war’s single worst day for Allied aircraft losses, with 119 aircraft shot down as they protected the supporting ships.

The Canadians who participated in the Dieppe Raid were among the more than one million men and women from Canada who served in uniform during the Second World War. The efforts of all of these Canadians helped ensure that victory was achieved. The sacrifices and achievements of those who gave so much to restore peace and freedom to the world cannot be forgotten.

(Boxed Lunch)

Day 5

Today we will visit the Juno Beach Center. We will have a guided tour of the beach and bunkers (German Observation post and command post) and a self-guided tour of the museum. We will also visit one of the Normandy beaches.

Normandy

By the spring of 1944, Germany had occupied France and much of the European continent for almost four years. A narrow stretch of water, the English Channel, was all that separated the German forces from Great Britain.

Even with all these preparations, the Normandy campaign would be very difficult. The shores of Northwest Europe were littered with German land mines, barbed wire, heavy artillery batteries and machine-gun nests. There were also anti-tank walls, shelters constructed of thick concrete, anti-aircraft guns and many other types of defensive positions. For these reasons, the coastline from Denmark to the south of France was known as “Fortress Europe.”

Many Canadian soldiers in the Normandy campaign were young and new to battle, but their courage and skill meant they often helped lead the Allied advance against a determined enemy. Canadians soon captured three shoreline positions on D-Day and established themselves near the village of Creully, but this was to be only the beginning of the struggle to liberate France.

Against difficult odds, the Canadians advanced against the best troops the enemy had. Victory in the Normandy campaign, however, would come at a terrible cost. Three hundred and forty Canadians were killed on Juno Beach on D-Day alone and the Canadians would suffer the most casualties of any division in the British Army Group during the Battle of Normandy. More than 5,000 made the ultimate sacrifice, losing their lives, and lie buried in a place far from their homes and loved ones. Others returned home with injuries to body and mind that they carry to this day.

Victory in Normandy would be only the beginning of many months of hard fighting on the ground in Western Europe. Canadians would play an important role in the offensives that would finally defeat the Germans and end the war in this part of the world.

On return to Caen, we’ll stop to visit Abbabye D’Ardeene.

Day 6

Arras – 2 nights

Depart Caen for Arras. We will make a stop at Le Quesnel Canadian Memorial – at this battle the Canadians fought along with the British, French and Australians to capture 5,033 prisoners and 161 guns.

Day 7

This morning we will visit the Beaumont Hamel, where you will find the Newfoundland Regiment Memorial, a memorial site in France dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during World War I. The 74-acre (300,000 m2) preserved battlefield park encompasses the grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on 1 July 1916 during the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Somme was the regiment’s first major engagement, and during an assault that lasted approximately 30 minutes the regiment was all but wiped out. Purchased in 1921 by the people of Newfoundland, the memorial site is the largest battalion memorial on the Western Front, and the largest area of the Somme battlefield that has been preserved. Along with preserved trench lines, there are a number of memorials and cemeteries contained within the site. Keep your eyes open for the danger tree, a skeleton of a tree that lay in No Man’s Land and had been utilized as a landmark.

Next we visit Lochnagar Crater. At 91m wide and 21m deep, this is one of the largest war-time craters ever created. You can walk around the rim on a duckboard trail. The mine dug by the 179th Tunneling Company Royal Engineers, under a German field fortification known as Schwabenhöhe, is the front line south of the village of La Boisselle in the Somme department of France. The mine was sprung at 7:28 a.m. on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

We will also visit Thiepval Memorial – the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme battlefields bears the names of 72,194 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces. These men died in the Somme battle sector before 20th March 1918 and have no known grave. The date of 20th March was the day before the German Army launched a large-scale offensive, code-named “Operation Michael”, against the British Army Front in the sector of the Somme. Over 90 percent of those commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial died in the 1916 Battles of the Somme between July and November 1916.

(Boxed Lunch)

Day 8

Ypres 3 nights

This morning you will be visiting Vimy Ridge, where Canada became a nation. This is a site all Canadians should have an opportunity to visit. A guided tour will be available.

We will stop to visit a memorial to the Airmen of the Great War, where the names of 46 Canadians are listed. We will also stop at the Dury Canadian Memorial, recognizing a battle in which seven Victoria Crosses were won by Canadians.

(Boxed Lunch)

Day 9

Today we will visit Passchendaele Canadian Battlefield Memorial that marks the site of Crest Farm where Canadians encountered some of the fiercest resistance they were to meet during the war, and the Memorial Museum Passchendaele which tells the story of the war in the Ypres Salient with special emphasis on the Battle of Passchendaele.

The Tyne Cot Cemetery will be visited today. Tyne Cot Cemetery is the resting place of 11,954 soldiers of the Commonwealth Forces. This is the largest number of burials contained in any Commonwealth cemetery of either the First or Second World War. It is the largest Commonwealth military cemetery in the world.

Every evening at 8:00 pm at the Menin Gate Memorial, a deeply moving ceremony takes place under the vast arch of the Menin Gate. The traffic stops and buglers from the local fire brigade play ‘The Last Post’. The Menin Gate is the most famous Commonwealth war memorial in Flanders and perhaps the world. Tens of thousands of soldiers passed through here on their way to the front, many of them never to return. Opened in 1927, the memorial bears the names of 54 896 soldiers who were reported missing in the Ypres Salient between the outbreak of war and 15 August 1917. The Menin Gate was designed in classical style by Sir Reginald Blomfield. This ceremony takes place every evening at 8 pm. Sometimes the ceremony is attended by just a few spectators, or on more formal occasions hundreds can be present. Irrespective of numbers, the Last Post remains a unique and moving experience.

(Boxed Lunch)

Day 10

Today we will visit Hill 62 Memorial, St Julien (the Brooding Soldier), Langemark (German Cemetery) and Essex Cemetery. It is in this cemetery where John McCrae (1872–1918) wrote his famous poem In Flanders Fields. A cenotaph for McCrae is located in the cemetery.

Day 11

Mons 1 night

Today we will depart our hotel, heading towards Dunkirk. “Dunkirk spirit,” an expression used to describe the tendency of the British public to pull together and overcome times of adversity, is still heard in the United Kingdom today.

Dunkirk, and the evacuation associated with the troops trapped on Dunkirk, was described as a miracle by Winston Churchill. As the Wehrmacht swept through Western Europe in the spring of 1940, using Blitzkrieg, both the French and British armies could not stop the onslaught. For the people in Western Europe, World War Two was really about to begin. The “Phoney War” was now over.

The advancing German Army trapped the British and French armies on the beaches around Dunkirk. 330,000 men were trapped here and they were a sitting target for the Germans.

The beach at Dunkirk was on a shallow slope so no large boat could get near to the actual beaches where the men were. Therefore, smaller boats were needed to take on board men who would then be transferred to a larger boat based further off shore. The little ships of Dunkirk were 700 private boats that sailed from Ramsgate in England to Dunkirk in France between 26 May and 4 June 1940 as part of Operation Dynamo, the rescue of more than 338,000 British and French soldiers, who were trapped on the beaches at Dunkirk during the Second World War. It is thought that the smallest boat to make the journey across the Channel was the Tamzine – an 18 foot open topped fishing boat.

We will continue to Mons where we will visit the Price Memorial.

Day 12

Nijmegen 2 nights

Depart Mons for Nijmegen.

This afternoon, stop at the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. Nijmegen holds an annual walk in which both military and civilians participate- this event is over 4 days and the participants walk 30km, 40km or 50km in a day ending at the Groesbeek Cemetery.

Day 13

Today we will head toward Hoogeveen, where we will visit Kamp Westerbork.

**Kamp Westerbork was the site of a large transit and work camp in the Dutch province of Drente. Over 100,000 Jews, Gypsies and resistance members were taken to Westerbork. The camp consisted of an orphanage, school, industrial barracks, punishment barracks, housing barracks, a larger square for roll-call and a railway. While interned at Westerbork in 1942, Bob Cahen described camp life in a letter:

“More and more new people have arrived in the camp. The barracks have become crowded, overcrowded. The smithy is working flat out producing beds, one after the other. Straw mattresses or other mattresses haven’t been available for a long time now. The people just have to lie down without one, on the iron. People were lying or sitting outside. At night, they would sleep in or under barrows or under the open sky. There was not enough food.”

Anne Frank was among the thousands held at Westerbork. Anne died with her sister in Bergen-Belsen in April 1945, just weeks before the end of the war. The last train left Westerbork September 13, 1944 carrying 77 young children who had been taken away from their hiding places by the Nazis. Westerbork was liberated April 12, 1945 and 876 prisoners were set free when the Canadian Army came upon the camp. After the liberation, the camp remained in service and various

activities took place there, but in 1971 the last barracks were torn down. Kamp Westerbork is now a commemoration centre. (For more info visit www.veterans.gc.ca)

After our visit we will make our way back to Nijmegen, with stops in Apledoorn to see a Man with 2 hats statue – the twin to this statue can be found at Dow’s Lake in Ottawa Commissionaire Park and Arnhem the location that you may remember from a bridge too far.

Day 14

Transfer to Amsterdam for our flights back to Ottawa.

Hotel Information

Mercure Maidstone Great Danes

Hotel website

Hotel Address

Nijmegen- Mercure Hotel Nijmegen Centre

Hotel website

Hotel Address

Mons- Hotel Lido

Hotel website

Hotel Address

Ypres- Novotel Ieper Centrum

Hotel website

Hotel Address

Caen- Ibis Styles Caen Centre Gare

Hotel website

Hotel Address

Holiday Inn Calais

Hotel website

Hotel Address

Tour Itinerary

Day 1

Ottawa to Edmundston

This morning you will depart Ottawa and travel east along the south shore of the St Lawrence River. Expect to arrive in Edmundston in the late afternoon.

Overnight – Four Points Sheraton or similar

Day 2

Edmundston to Summerside

Leaving Edmundston we will continue our journey along the Trans-Canada highway making your way east through New Brunswick to the sea, where you will cross Confederation Bridge. Confederation Bridge spans the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick. It won’t take long once you have crossed this engineering marvel to reach Summerside, your home for the evening. (B)

Overnight – Quality Inn & Suites

Day 3

Summerside to Iles De La Madeleine

After a leisurely breakfast and a bit more time in Summerside, you’re off to Souris for the ferry crossing to Iles De La Madeleine. Our route to the ferry will take us along the north coast of PEI. (B)

Overnight – Château Madelinot or simila

Day 4

Iles De La Madeleine

The Îles de la Madeleine is an isolated archipelago made up of seven inhabited islands in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Six of these islands are linked by the main road, Route 199, while the seventh, Entry Island, is only accessible by boat. The total population of the islands is under 15,000. While on the islands you enjoy a complete change of pace. Today we tour the western part of the archipelago. In the morning we will visit the villages of Cap-aux-Meules, L’Etang-du-Nord and La Cote. In the afternoon we have the opportunity to explore the island of Havre-Aubert. Dinner is included tonight. (B,D)

Overnight – Château Madelinot or similar

Day 5

Iles De La Madeleine

Today we visit the eastern part of the islands. In the morning, we explore the village of Havre-aux Maisons and make a stop at the Pointe-Basse Harbour to visit the herring smokehouse economuseum. We will then make our way to the Echourie lighthouse before stopping at Dune-du-Sud for a walk on the beach and a look at the brilliant cliffs carved by the sea. In the afternoon we will visit the villages of Grosse-Isle and Grand-Entrée. We will then return to the hotel for a bit of leisure time. Dinner is included tonight. (B,D)

Overnight – Château Madelinot or similar

Day 6

Iles De La Madeleine to Charlottetown

After an early breakfast we will journey to PEI. Upon our arrival the remainder of the day will be at leisure. (B)

Overnight – Delta Hotel Prince Edward or similar

Day 7

Charlottetown

This morning, we will be met by our local guide for a tour of this appealing island. We will start off with a tour of Historic Charlottetown. Next, we will be off to Anne’s Land. Your journey will take you to Cavendish, one of the prettiest towns on the island. The fictional redheaded Anne of Green Gables is everywhere in this area. When the novel Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908, most people could only dream of visiting its magical setting. Your visit will take you to Green Gables heritage place. Green Gables, part of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Cavendish National Historic Site, is famous around the world as the inspiration for the setting in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic tale of fiction. We will also visit PEI Preserve Company, North Rustico, PEI National Park, and a stop at a winery.

Your lunch during the tour is included. (B, L)

Overnight – Delta Hotel Prince Edward or similar

Day 8

Charlottetown to Edmundston

After a hearty breakfast you will begin your homeward journey stopping again in Edmundston. (B)

Overnight – Four Points Sheraton or similar

Day 9

Edmundston to Ottawa

It will be an early start back to Ottawa. Expect to be back in the city for dinner. (B)

Itinerary subject to change.

Hotel Information

Four Points by Sheraton Edmundston, or similar

Hotel website

Hotel Address

Quality Inn and Suites Summerside

Hotel website

Hotel Address

Chateau Madelinot

Hotel website

Hotel Address

Delta Mariott Charlottetown

Hotel website

Hotel Address