Somme Orientation Tour
Map showing Allied and German front lines and Allied objectives for 1st July 1916
Orientation Tours are designed for the first time visitor who wants to get an overview of the Battle of the Somme in a short period of time.
Chalk marks zig-zig across the distant field where the German front line rises from the Ancre valley to the bottom of Newfoundland Park
Emphasis is given to locating the front lines between the main sites in order to get a clear view of how they are connected.
Lochnegar crater – the result of the explosion of an underground mine at La Boisselle on 1st July 1916
SOMME ORIENTATION – Half Day
On the half day Somme Orientation Tour you will connect the main sites from the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1st July 1916, such as Lochnegar Crater, the Ulster Tower, Newfoundland Park and Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and you will discover the front lines that link them together.
Thiepval Memorial to the Missing carries the names of over 73,000 men who fell during the Battle of the Somme and have no known grave
SOMME ORIENTATION – Full Day
On the full day Somme Orientation Tour you will connect the main sites from the first day of the Battle of the Somme such as Lochnegar Crater and Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and discover the front lines that link them together. Additionally you will discover sites fought over in the ensuing months of the battle.
Tank Memorial marking their first ever deployment at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette 15th September 1916
An individual action will be described in situ enabling you to understand the ground covered by a single battalion in a successful attack.
Sunken Lane where Lancashire Fusiliers waited to go over the top on 1st July 1916
Period photographs will be used in situ to help you visualise the scene at the time.
Lancashire Fusiliers in Sunken Lane 1st July 1916
By the end of the tour you will have a sound impression of the scale of the battle and be in a good position to understand the context of sites you that you may choose to visit later.