Virtual Tours

Whilst most who focus on the early actions of the BEF concentrate, with some justification, on Smith Dorrien's II Corps, the 27 August saw a determined and costly stand by men of the 2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers, a detachment of the 15th Hussars and a section of 118th Battery RFA. This small force, acting as the rearguard for Haig's I Corps, fought on throughout the day against the overwhelming numbers of the German X Reserve Corps.

Despite bridges being blown and their eventual encirclement, their stoic resistance would earn the respect and admiration of their comrades and opponents in equal measures, this virtual battlefield tour will follow their defence from the initial contact on the crossroads at Chapeau Rouge to the orchard just outside Etreux where they made their fateful, final stand.

As the Gallipoli campaign reached its crescendo in August, the key ground that linked the Anzac and Suvla sectors were a series of low lying hills that overlooked the Salt Lake, dominated North Anzac and protected the Ottoman batteries and their supply lines whilst guarding the quickest route to glimpse and control The Narrows.

The battle launched on the 21 August 1915 represented the final throw of the offensive dice for Sir Ian Hamilton on the peninsula, it marked the largest single land battle of the campaign, yet is one seldom studied.

This virtual battlefield tour will follow the attack of the 29th Division, the crossing of the Salt Lake by the Yeomanry Divisions and their subsequent assault on Scimitar Hill, Green Hill, W Hills and Hill 60.

Leuze Wood or Lousy Wood as the British inevitably called it, straddles the Guillemont to Combles road on the high ground that features so much in the 2nd Phase of the Battle of the Somme. Itself being flanked by the infamous Falfemont Farm and the crumbled ruins of Guillemont, dominated views to the North and East and stood in the way of the advance by General Rawlinson’s Fourth Army in early September 1916.

Successively fought over by a great many units, it was captured, lost, and finally cleared largely by men of the 5th and 56th Divisions whose actions this virtual tour will concentrate on. Lousy wood may not hold the same notorious reputation or fable as others such as Delville, Mametz or High Wood but nevertheless its story should be told.

Between the 9 - 14 April 1917, as part of Allenby's III Army, the men of the 12th (Eastern) Division, the 3rd Division and the 56th (London) Division attacked the ground east of Arras between Observation Ridge, through Monchy-Le-Preux to Wancourt.

This virtual battlefield tour follows the movements, battlefield innovations and newly learnt tactics that initially offered hope of a long-awaited breakthrough. It features the importance of the air war in the skies above Arras and considers the counterattack actions of the German 6th Army that would lead to the eventual stalemate across the battlefield. The battle of Arras marked the highest attritional period of warfare for the BEF on the Western Front.

Through the eyes, words and memories of the men who fought there, our tour will study the fighting on the Scarpe in the first week of the battle.

For the men involved, the 21 March 1918 marked the high water mark of total war, in just over five hours over a million shells were fired before, under the cover of a thick blanket of fog, waves of storm troopers, assaulting and follow up divisions swarmed over the British lines. In the gentle rolling landscape between Villers Guislain and Epehy a number of outstanding last-ditch defensive actions took place

Our virtual battlefield tour studies the South African Brigade at Gauche Wood, the Leicester's Brigade of the 21st Division in front of Pigeon Ravine and the eventual defence of the village of Epehy where cemeteries, memorials, bunkers, observation posts and the scars of war remain over a century on.

It was the momentous success that heralded the opening of the doors to victory on the Western Front. Demonstrating superior tactics, operational resilience and material might, the combined allied forces punched up to 8 miles into German Lines. Engulfing five German Divisions, it was the profound effect on morale, of both sides, that proved even more significant than the geographical gains.

British troops were buoyed by the success and felt that the offensive spirit was entirely with them to “get the job done”, while 50,000 German soldiers surrendered with no longer even a dim hope of Victory in their mind. General Erich Ludendorff later described it as “the black day of the German Army” - Der Schwarze Tag.

This virtual tour captures the essence of the first day at Amiens following the leading Australian Battalions and the British Cavalry including the incredible story of one Whippet Tank Crew from 6th Battalion Tank Corps that operated for 9 hours behind enemy line inflicting tremendous losses on the enemy.

Krithia saw three full-scale battles in 1915 and was - arguably - the low point of the Gallipoli campaign. It is often overlooked by visitors to the battlefields, but using personal accounts, drone footage and other digital technology, we are able to bring the battlefield to members, without having to leave home.

Essentially, Aubers was a one day battle, in the form of a pincer attack at Richebourg in support of the French attacks at Vimy and Notre Dame de Lorette. Described as both an “unmitigated disaster” and “a serious disappointment” by the Official Historians, 100 years on we find very little more has been written to nullify that description or perception.

It is difficult to present this battle to fit the current narrative of “the BEF learning curve” and “capable charismatic Generals” and a war winning Tommy. Staggeringly high casualties and political fall out are two more of the results of this abysmal episode.

Focusing more on the southern attack, Tour Guide and Historian Julian Whippy takes you across the rather flat virtual battlefields and explain some of the reasons for the disappointment and certain disaster.

This tour follows the 51st (Highland) Division during their operations in and around Beaumont Hamel during the November of 1916. It considers the lessons learnt from the 1st July attack and how technology and tactics differed leading to the eventual capture of the village and the high ground towards the Munich and Frankfurt Trench.

Through modern, contemporary and personal accounts Clive Harris studies the leadership, planning and operational effectiveness of the Division as the Somme offensive reached its wintery end after four months of hard fighting.

Following its experiences at Gallipoli and on the Somme the Royal Naval Division were tasked with the capture of Gavrelle on the 23 April 1917. This tour will follow the Division through this operation, an often overlooked if costly achievement for the RND.

The Official History records ‘Full justice has not been done to the 63rdDivision, because the details of the street fighting, in which it showed great skill and determination, are too intricate for description.’

We also study the attritional assaults on the windmill position a week later.

Pushing ahead during the advance to victory in the late summer of 1918 brought its own problems to the Allies. One of those was the rapidly progressing Infantry outstripping the Artillery with their speed of advance.

Thus the Battle of Mont St Quentin becoming known as 'a soldiers battle' for that very reason.

General Sir John Monash with his Australian Corps, had been told to 'keep touch' with the enemy and he took that as an opportunity to once more show what his troops could achieve and rushed his Corps to capture Mont St Quentin, the Gateway to Peronne on the bend in the Somme River. The Battle on the Hill was certainly a Fine feat of Arms, but this talk also looks at whether it was actually a necessary feat of arms.

Taking place at the end of the Second Battle of the Marne, this seldom studied action took place amongst the Champagne Vineyards of the Ardre Valley west of Reims.

Alexander Godley’s XXII Corps, containing the 51st (Highland) and 62nd (West Riding) Division were to fight under the command of the French Fifth Army alongside the Italian II Corps throughout late July 1918 eventually reaching and consolidating the Montagne de Bligny.

The operation was a costly one, over 7,000 casualties across the two divisions however, an advance of four miles had been completed during which seven different German Divisions had been engaged.