Travel Modernism Limited

Now is the perfect time to explore the history of the First World War with the centenary next year of the Armistice of 1918. There are now a number of new museums and visitor centres in Northern France and Belgium to visit for those interested generally or those whose relatives took part in the conflict.

Our knowledgeable guides can explain how the War evolved between 1914 and 1918, we can also provide bespoke research and tours based around your family if you wish. All sizes of tours can be catered for from individuals through to large school parties. Please see below a brief description of the major sights alongside images and videos, if you would like to find out more please contact us and we would be happy to assist.

Battle of the Somme

The Somme Battle of 1916 is etched into the British memory due to the significant number of casualties incurred alongside the inclement weather that effected the campaign. The new visitor centre at Thiepval provides an insightful interpretation of the Battle alongside the poignant memorial designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, which records the 72,246 men with no known grave.

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Battle of Arras

The Arras offensive of 1917 would incorporate a number of lessons learnt from the Battle of the Somme a year earlier which led to the longest Allied advance during the conflict. The offensive included tunneling, artillery, tanks and aircraft to support the infantry advance which included the taking of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian forces. However the casualties would be significant with 158,000 men being lost during the month long Battle. The Arras Memorial also designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens commemorates the 34,785 personnel who died in the sector and Arras Flying Services Memorial which lists 991 airmen, both memorials are for those with no known grave.

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Battle of Passchendaele

After the Battle of the Somme, this 1917 offensive also became a source of national grief as Siegfried Sassoon described, "I died in hell - they called it Passchendaele". Paul Nash illustrated the broken landscape in the iconic Menin Road painting of the battlefield. The Battle for the high ground around the Salient of Ypres would cost the British Army an estimated 200,000–448,614 men. The offensive was designed to relieve pressure on the French Army fronts and engage the German Army in a war of attrition that would lead to their eventual surrender a year later in 1918. The area has some excellent museums and memorials which include In Flanders Fields Museum, the Menin Gate, Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 and Zonnebeke Church Dugout.

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The Tyne Cot Cemetery close to Ypres and Passchendaele is the largest Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in the world and contains 11,965 burials connected with the Battle around the Ypres Salient. King George V described Tyne Cot as, " In the course of my pilgrimage, I have many times asked myself whether there can be more potent advocates of peace upon Earth through the years to come, than this massed multitude of silent witnesses to the desolation of war."

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