Battlefield Britain Short Breaks

Battlefield Britain - Short Breaks New for June 2021

These short weekend breaks proved very popular when we launched our ‘Wartime London’ tour earlier this year. For convenience, we recommend a range of accommodation types that you can book and as walking tours, you simply meet us at the start of each day, we only use a Coach where necessary and the group sizes are usually no more than a dozen. Other options are also on the bench which include Civil War, and other Roman Britain ideas.

Defence of the Realm Weekend - Led by Clive Harris & Tony Scott - £250:00pp

12 - 13 June 2021

Tour includes:

Pick up/drop off at Ebbsfleet & Dover
Coach throughout
2 x Battlefield Guides throughout
3 X Historical walks and associated visits to sites
Entrance to museums/memorials
*Not inclusive of overnight accommodation and meals

Often fleetingly glimpsed from the deck of a cross channel ferry, Dover offers a rich military heritage ideal to study through a series of walks and visits. Our weekend includes a walk around the town of Dover encompassing its many memorials & historic sites to tell the story of Dover at War, a walk along the eastern cliffs discovering the site of cross channel guns, Chain Home early warning system and the Dover Patrol Memorial. We also walk the western cliffs seeing sound ranging equipment and numerous pill boxes overlooking the channel. We finish with a visit to the Capel-Le-Ferne Battle of Britain Memorial, the historic Royal Military Canal and Shorncliffe Military Cemetery.
Saturday 12 June
Morning Pick-up from Ebbfleet and onward travel to Dover including a brief stop at West Malling to visit a flak tower to set the scene for the weekend.
Walk One - Dover at War, a guided wander around the historic port city to visit sites of interest & memorials connected to discover Dovers miltary past and its wartime story
After a short break for lunch we visit the site of Swingate Chain Home Radar Station and discover its story.

Walk Two - East Headlands Walk, starting at the site of the cross channel guns, 'Pooh', 'Dummy Pooh' & Bruce' we continue to the Dover Patrol Memorial, visit the site of a nearby rocket battery before descending the cliff path to the beach passing obervation posts and anti defence measures before ending in the shore to discuss the Foogasse 'flame defence' system. A pleasant pub awaits us before our coach takes us back to Dover.
Clive and Tony will be heading out that evening for a beer or two and chat about history should anyone want to join or avoid them!
Sunday 13 June
Morning meet in central Dover before a sort drive to Abbots Cliff to start,
Walk Three - West Headlands Walk, with spectacular views we stroll along the coastal path passing Shelters, Sound mirrors and battery locations as we discover these vital tools in Britains defences, we discuss the roll of the Observer Corps and discuss the Luftwaffe raids and sorties over the area. We then head to the nearby Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne where we discuss the Battle of Britain, what it acheives and its cost. Continung onto Folkestone we vist a stretch of the Royal Military Canal and a Martello Tower to discover the defences in the area during the Napoleonic period before our final stop at the Shorncliffe Military Cemetery at Sandgatte.This fascinating CWGC plot includes 3 Victoria Cross recipients, a number of fascinating stories and the battle damage of 1939-45 war where it found itself in the frontline. After a leisurly visit we depart for Ebbsfleet and a final drop off late afternoon.

Wartime London Weekend - Led by Clive Harris & Steve Hunnisett - £220:00pp

26 - 27 June 2021

Tour includes:
2 x Battlefield Guides throughout
4 X Historical walks and associated visits to sites
Entrance to museums/memorials
*Not inclusive of overnight accommodation and meals

This new tour follows on from our popular City of London Wartime walks earlier this year but focuses on the area to the West of the City and South East London' thameside.
Saturday 26 June

Meeting in central London, (Speakers Corner), this walk will cross the quiet streets of Mayfair ending on the river as we look at the war over Westeminster, after assing numerous world landmarks and hearing the story of his corner of the capital from Steve and Clive, we will retire to a local hostalry to discuss the days events and share a few wartime memories.
Sunday 27 June

Today we focus on the wartime bombing of London, meeting in central Greenwich we begin Walk One - Greenwich to Blackheath, following the River Thames, through the naval College and into Greenwich Park,we pass locations where bombs dropped and acts of bravery occured, we look pass the observatory and meridian line where Genral Wolfe's blitz damaged statue stands before emerging onto Blackheath. Here we see the site of aircraft crashes, V1 & V2 incidents and discover the fascinating Home Guard defence plans for the area before passing the site of Hollyhedge House thatwas destroyed in the war and the Airship raids of 1917 in the area, we end in Blackheath village where lunch can be taken. A short train journey away we head for Walk Two - Charlton to Woolwich from the Roman times to the Second World War this stretch of the thames has links to warfare, our walk, focussing on the Blitz will also take in a number of fascinating stories including the Silvertown Explosion of 1917 and even earlier when prison ships were moored just off the shoreline in the 19th Century. We look at Londons civil defences before ending at the Woolwich Arsenal, key to the countries armanents manufacturing during both wars. Here the tour ends in the veyr pleasant Dial Square Pub where both Woolwich DLR and station are close by with a short trip back to Greenwich and onwards home.

The Strategic Air Offensive Tour with Stephen Darlow - £250:00 pp
19/20 June 2021

Tour includes:
Pick up/drop off in Cambridge
Coach throughout
2 x Battlefield Guides throughout
2 X Historical walks and associated visits to sites
Entrance to museums/memorials
*Not inclusive of overnight accommodation and meals
This new tour in conjunction with historian/author Stephen Darlow focuses on the joint efforts of RAF Bomber Command and the US 8th Airforce in and around Cambridge
Saturday
Meet in central Cambridge our tour starts with a day studying Bomber Command, first with a trip to Bassingbourne cum Kneesworth Cemetery, here we focus on the general background to the bomber offensive, considering airfield expansion and RAF aircrew training. We study a specific incident concerning a collision between a Luftwaffe intruder and No. 11 OTU Wellington from Steeple Morden.
We the head to Gransden Lodge airfield, from this seldom visited site we focus on Bomber Command's Battle of Berlin, notably the raids of 16/17 December 1943 and 24/25 March 1944. At the time of the raids Gransden Lodge was the home to No 405 Squadron RCAF, a Pathfinder squadron. We end the day with a visit to The Eagle pub Cambridge, a favourite haunt of aircrew during the Second World War, where its famous ceiling records the in-burnt names of those who served.
Sunday
Switching our attention to the US 8th Airforce we make the short trip to Nuthampstead airfield, from here we learn the general background to the USAAF 8th Air Force's entry in to the bomber offensive by focusing on the 398th Bomb Group and specifically their mission of 15th October 1944. We then have a private visit to the Nuthampstead museum dedicated to the 398th Bomb Group and the 55th Fighter Group. Lunch can be taken at the The Woodman Pub that contains memorabilia associated with the airfield. We then transfer to Steeple Morden airfield. We discover the history of the airfield, how it moved from RAF control to USAAF control and discover the story of the 'Steeple Morden Strafers' (the 355th Fighter Group) our visit will explain how the strategic air offensive targeted the Luftwaffe directly in 1944 and 1945. We end the day with a visit to Madingley American Cemetery, after spending time in the visitor centre we will visit the graves of some of the men mentioned earlier in the day. The coach will then return to Cambridge.

Norfolk at War - with Jo Hook & Steve Smith - £220:00 pp
3/4 July 2021

Tour includes:
Coach on the Sunday
2 x Battlefield Guides throughout
2 x Historical walks and associated visits to sites
Entrance to museums/memorials
*Not inclusive of overnight accommodation and meals

In the company of historians Jo hook and Steve Smith, this weekend will focus on Norfoilk in both wars and based in Norwich on the saturday to study the raids in the Second World War and Great Yarmouth on the sunday to study the Airship Raids of the Great War.
Saturday 3 July
Meeting in Norwich we start with a walk around the city centre including Cathedral close and the story of Norwich's Edith Cavell, with visit the 5th Norfolks memorial within the Cathedral, continuing our walk we discuss Norfolk in WW2, the defence of the City and the lead up to the Baedecker raids April 1942, we then pay a visit to Norwich Castle and Museum. After lunch reconvene with a walk through the remainer of Norwich passing mumerous historic military stops en route before descending down Grapes Hill that was entirely destroyed in the raids before retiring to the Adam and Eve pub.
Sunday 4 July
Our coach will take us to Great Yarmouth where we will undertake a walk to study the Zeppelin Raid of 19 January 1915, becoming the first British town to suffer civilian fatalities due to aerial bombardment' We pass through St Peter's Plain where the first bombs dropped. Passing the historic Row Houses of the St Nicholas district we continue our following Yarmouths military history as we visit numourous memorials and scenes of gallantry. We look at how Yarmouth suffered in the Second World War and heading to the sea front discover the wartime defences and wrecks that still line the shore. Finishing in a local pub, our coach will then return us to Norwich to end the tour.
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