Highlights of the Tour
The tour opens in the streets of St. John's, through which fresh recruits of the Newfoundland Regiment marched in the fall of 1914. You will visit archival collections and the Regiment museum, examine personal artifacts of the war experience, browse the military records of the young men who went to war, as well as letters from women who volunteered with the nursing stations overseas. You will also be briefed on your trip by Kevin Major, and by Memorial's study abroad coordinator.
Then you will fly to England, where accommodations are provided at Memorial University's campus in Harlow, situated between London and Cambridge.
In London, you will take in the 'trench experience' at the Imperial War Museum, and just outside the city, visit the vast Brookwood Memorial Cemetery.
In Grantchester near Cambridge, you will take tea at The Orchard, made famous by Rupert Brooke, and in the charming village of Long Melford, you will visit the resting place of another famous war poet, Edmund Blunden.
Then you will ferry across the Channel for a tour in northern France. The group will lodge in Arras, and follow the trail of the Caribou, visiting all four of the battle sites in France that feature the famous statue:
A full day will be devoted to
Beaumont-Hamel, where the Newfoundland Regiment was devastated
in battle on July 1, 1916. Part of a second day will be spent in
the village of Louvencourt, where the Regiment was housed prior to
the battle.
Other stops in France will include the grave site of Wilfred Owen, and the venerable grounds of Vimy Ridge.
We are pleased to announce that this year's program will be extended by two days, to allow for travel to sites in Belgium where the Regiment fought and to visit the 5th and final Caribou monument commemorating the commitment of Newfoundland and Labrador to the Great War.
During the tour, there will also be ample opportunity to relax and experience spring in England and France, enjoying the gardens in bloom, a performance of the Choir of King's College, a pint in a corner pub and the delights of French cuisine.
Whether you are a descendant of someone who served in the First World War or someone wanting to delve deeper into the experiences of the Newfoundland Regiment, this will be a journey never to be forgotten.
