Virtual Tours - 'The First Battle of the Scarpe' is now available to view

The fourth of the Virtual Tours that we are running as a substitute for 'real life' visits the battlefields is now available to view.

As detailed previously, these tours are being provided through a partnership with our friends at Battle Guide Virtual Tours. All six of the 'live events' have been completed and have met with wide-spread acclaim.

If you were unable to reserve a place all is not lost as these tours are being made available to members for free to watch after the 'live' event.

The tour looked at the 1917 action around Monchy-le-Preux in 1917 with Clive Harris is now available for members - a short 'clip' of this is available below. Click the right pointing arrow in the bottom left corner of the image.

The full hour long virtual tour can be seen via the link at the foot of this page (note: this requires a sign on to The Western Front Association 'members only' area of the website)

Between the 9 - 14 April 1917, as part of Allenby's Third 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 studies the fighting on the Scarpe in the first week of the battle.

The full virtual tour is available to Western Front Association members only and is accessible via the 'members area' on the website.  In order to view this in full, you will need to log in to the website using your personal log in details. Once you have done so, simply click onto 'Virtual Tours' and then to the 1914 tour. Alternatively click on the link here The First Battle of the Scarpe