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To
provide a comparison between the battles of 1915 and 1916 this tour visited
the Loos Battlefield of September 1915 and the
Somme
of the 1st July.
The
following are a series of photographs taken on the Somme.
A visit to the trenches in Thiepval Wood recently excavated by archaeologists
working in conjunction with the Somme Association. Please
note that there is no public access to the wood. Visit Teddy at the Ulster
Tower for more details please!
 Thiepval
Wood was the jumping of point for several battalions of the 36th Ulster
Division. Trenches excavated include a portion of the front line and the
entrances to "saps" running out into no-mans-land. 36th Division
was actually very successful in its initial assault owing to its infiltration of
no-mans-land prior to the barrage lifting.
 A
further view of the excavated trenches in Thiepval Wood. Excavations have
been conducted in a painstaking manner to preserve both the trench and the
artifacts within.
 In
recent years tremendous advances in reconciliation have taken place between the
Irish Republic and Ulster. Teddy Collighan from the Somme Association
shakes hands with Michael O'Rahilly. Michael is Flanders Tour resident
expert on the Munster Fusiliers.
 The
battle explained. Only a small proportion of the trench system in the wood
has been excavated. There are no plans to greatly extend this .
 A
view of the front line trench system running past a collapsed dugout. The
achaeology suggests that this abandoned dugout from the French occupation in
1915 caused the British problems in 1916!
 A
visit to the preserved trenches at Vimy Ridge.
 And
finally! - our tour's Irish contingent felt he needed support!
Go to the 2007 Tour Programme
or
the Flanders Tours Home Page
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