Unique tour of Canadian battlegrounds in Europe

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Imagine standing on Juno Beach, where Canadians landed on D-Day 71 years ago.

A special journey overseas to visit Canadian battlegrounds is happening in May.

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the battles of the Somme and Verdun, which had a casualty toll of almost two million soldiers.

To commemorate the anniversary, Canadian Battlefields of Europe: A Journey of Remembrance will take people on a 15-day tour to historical sites in France and Belgium.

Military historian Dr. Jody Perrun says the tour includes the Essex Farm bunker, “where John McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields, following the death of a friend of his. We’re able to go to the spot where the poet wrote the poem that we all know so well.”

Perrun says the trip also goes to Dieppe, where you’ll stand on the beach where the ill-fated raid took place in 1942.

“It’s something else to stand on that beach and look up at the cliffs on the left and the right. You really get a sense almost of being watched. To imagine trying to come ashore, loaded down with 60 to 70 pounds of kit and you jump in the water and try not to drown… The whole time you’re being shot at. It’s a real eye-opening experience. It gives me goosebumps on the back of my neck, just thinking about it.”

Perrun says Vimy Ridge is a highlight for everyone, while Ypres often is a bit of a surprise for visitors.

“There’s a lot of really fascinating architecture around there, as well as the memorials and the cemeteries. The Menin Gate is something to see, especially the Last Post ceremony that they’ve been doing there every night since 1928. They do it every night at 8 o’clock. They come out and play the Last Post and they honour the veterans and they honour the soldiers who are still buried there.”

There are several other historical sites on the tour, including Point 67 where the Calgary Highlanders attempted to take the northern spur.

The price of the Canadian Battlefields of Europe: A Journey of Remembrance trip starts at about $4,600 per person.

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