Contalmaison 2012

[Jack Alexander]

I’m pleased to announce details of the 2012 pilgrimage to the McCrae’s Battalion Memorial in the Somme village of Contalmaison.

Our itinerary focuses on the unveiling of the long-awaited ‘fifth’ bronze plaque. The four bronzes on the Cairn have been much admired since their arrival eight years ago. Now they will be joined by a freestanding bronze relief of the surrounding fields as they looked on the first day of the Somme.

Mounted on a solid block of Clashach sandstone (matching the material used in construction of the Cairn), the new plaque is a precisely detailed enlargement of the map on the front ‘endpaper’ of McCrae’s Battalion, incorporating trenches, barbed wire and the great crater at La Boisselle. It also features the familiar caricatures of Private Fred Bland, who fell in action with McCrae’s a week before the start of the big offensive. Cast in Nairn by our friends at the Black Isle Bronze foundry, the fifth plaque will be an indispensible orientation guide for all visitors to this important part of the old front line.

The inaugural weekend in 2004 was an unforgettable experience. We fully expect the forthcoming weekend to be equally memorable. Among other visits, we’ll be including a stop at the new Commonwealth War Graves cemetery at Fromelles, subject of much publicity over the past couple of years.

Once again we’re pleased to confirm that a number of Scottish sixth-year students will be on the coach. The future of Remembrance lies with the young. They will be joined by a group of (almost equally) young soldiers who are recovering from a variety of injuries sustained on recent active service.

The 2012 events will further cement our close ties with the Somme. We have established a new tradition of Franco-Scottish remembrance, reviving the ancient friendship of Europe’s oldest alliance. The Scottish Footballers’ cairn is now part of the local fabric.

Our fully equipped, air-conditioned coach leaves Edinburgh on Friday 29 June and returns to the city on Tuesday 3 July. We travel via Hull/Zeebrugge with onboard entertainment and plenty of rest stops along the way. Seats cost £399 per person and the package includes breakfast in our city centre hotel and breakfast/evening meals on the ferry.


Anyone who would like to join us is welcome to make contact. Send me a private message or phone Alan Owenson on 01875 812 455. We’ll forward further details without delay.

Thank you for your interest.

[The Green Goblin]

Welcome back to the board, Jack. Good to see that interest and enthusiasm still abound for this worthy project. Wishing you all the best for this year's pilgrimage.

GG

[Keith_M]

All the best Jack, hope it goes without a hitch.

I was working on a contract in Ypres in Belgium for 3 months a couple of years back and it was the first time I had a real sense of the sadness of WWI. I realise that it's only a faint image of the reality but it was quite a moving experience to walk around the place and read the experiences of the poor souls involved.

[HibbyDave]

I hope your trip goes well. Well done on encouraging younger travellers to make the trip Lest We Forget.

[ginger_rice]

I'm going there first week in June with a party of 25 school kids, looking forward to it.

[Hibrandenburg]

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I'm going there first week in June with a party of 25 school kids, looking forward to it.

It's a humbling experience and should be part of every schools curriculum.