McCrae s Battalion Trust 101 st Anniversary Pilgrimage Contalmaison 2015

Transcription

1 McCrae s Battalion Trust 101 st Anniversary Pilgrimage Contalmaison 2015 The McCrae s Battalion Trust is the world s first registered charity to be inspired by the sacrifice of an infantry battalion of the Great War. On 1 July 1916 the bloody opening day of the Battle of the Somme seventeen British divisions assaulted an impregnable German defensive system, bristling with barbed wire and machine-guns. 20,000 British soldiers died that morning the idealistic best that the New Armies had to offer. A further 40,000 were wounded. Entire battalions of pals, brothers, neighbours and work-mates were wiped out in a matter of minutes. Amid the carnage it was a unit from the capital of Scotland that penetrated furthest into the enemy position. The 16th Royal Scots, the 2nd Edinburgh City Battalion, named after their charismatic and much-loved colonel, Sir George McCrae, lost almost three-quarters of their strength. Somehow, though, a small party pressed on to reach the tiny ruined village of Contalmaison, deep inside the German trench system. In their time they were recognised as heroes, but posterity is unkind and the achievement was forgotten. In November 2004 a fourteen-foot-high traditional Scottish cairn was unveiled in Contalmaison to finally right this historic wrong. Constructed by Scottish craftsmen, using entirely Scottish materials, sourced in Caithness, Nairnshire, Moray and the Lothians, it is now recognised as the most handsome battalion memorial to be erected on the Somme since the high-water mark of commemorative projects in the 1920s. It is truly the last of the Great War memorials. In 2006 the fundraising group that built the Cairn evolved into Scottish Registered Charity number the McCrae s Battalion Trust. We ve already held eleven successful ceremonies of Remembrance in the village and the Contalmaison Cairn has become a distinctive Scottish presence on the Western Front. With the collaboration of The Royal Scots Association and the Royal Regiment of Scotland (which embraces all the antecedent Scottish regiments that served so bravely in the war), we are pledged to return every year. Had the memorial been built in 1920, Contalmaison would by now be an established date in Scotland s annual civic calendar. Better late than never, as 1

2 the Colonel would no doubt have said. In 2015 we commemorate the centenary of the battalion s departure from Edinburgh and the untimely deaths of two of the men who were instrumental in its creation, the Hearts players, Tom Gracie and Jim Speedie. This promises to be a busy year with an unprecedented number of travellers, many of whom will be visiting France and Flanders for the first time. Owing to the upsurge in demand for ferry berths, our pilgrimage begins at Waterloo Place in the familiar surroundings of Waterloo Place and in the company of our old friends from Abbot Travel. We ll be driving down to Dover and spending a night in the centre of the town before crossing to France via Eurotunnel for a leisurely first day on the continent. Attached is our itinerary which includes three nights in the Holiday Inn Express, right in the centre of Arras. With competition for peak period hotel places at an all-time high this year, we ve again done well to secure these rooms and we know from previous experience that Barbara and her team will have a warm welcome waiting. The future of Remembrance lies with the young, so we re pleased to confirm that a number of Scottish sixth-year students will again participate in our official pilgrimage. As usual, West Calder High School are to the fore, and they ll be joined again by students from Falkirk and by a group of (almost equally) young soldiers from the Personnel Recovery Unit at Craigiehall who are recovering from a variety of injuries sustained on recent active service. The establishment of the Contalmaison site and our annual pilgrimage has firmly cemented Scotland s links with France and the Somme. The 2015 pilgrimage will further cement our close ties. 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 an important part of the local fabric. As always, the McCrae s Battalion Trust and our friends in Contalmaison look forward to welcoming anyone who is interested in joining us on 1 July to commemorate the finest unit in Lord Kitchener s volunteer Army. McCrae s Own Scotland s Sporting Battalion ITINERARY Monday 29 June assemble Waterloo Place, where Abbot Travel s luxury coach will be parked on the eastbound carriageway with the McCrae s Battalion Trust crest in the front window leave Edinburgh for Dover with ample rest stops en route, including a longer break for lunch. Our first night will be a free evening, spent in the Premier Inn, right in the centre of Dover, overlooking the White Cliffs. It s a comfortable, well-appointed establishment with its own bar and easy access to the many attractions of Dover itself. 2

3 Tuesday 30 June board coach leave hotel for Folkestone and Eurotunnel. Adjust watches (forward one hour) to European time arrive Calais (approx) arrive Holiday Inn Express, Arras. Checkin and allocation of rooms is followed by a free afternoon and evening in the town. For those of you who haven t visited Arras before, you ll find a multitude of excellent bars, restaurants and shops. Arras is built on 10 th Century limestone quarries and it s possible to circumnavigate the honeycomb of cellars in a popular guided tour. Climb to the top of the Beffroi (the belfry of the Town Hall) for a panoramic view of the town and the surrounding area. Wednesday 1 July CONTALMAISON CEREMONY sharp depart hotel for Contalmaison ceremony begins, followed by laying of tributes at Contalmaison Village Memorial board coach for special visit return to Salle de Fêtes in Contalmaison for lunch. (35 Euros with all you can eat and drink!) return to Arras for a free evening. Thursday 2 July BATTLEFIELD TOUR DAY depart Arras for Mons arrive Symphorien Cemetery, near Mons in Belgium, which contains the graves of both the first and the last British casualties of the war, as well as that of the last Canadian soldier to fall. It also includes the grave of Lieutenant Maurice Dease, 4 th Battalion The Royal Fusiliers, who was the first Great War recipient of the Victoria Cross. The cemetery was established by the German Army as a final resting place for Allied and German soldiers killed at the Battle of Mons in St Symphorien is one of the most unusual cemeteries on the Western Front. It was chosen as the location for a twilight centennial ceremony on 4 th August 2014, attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, 3

4 Prince Harry and David Cameron, plus many world leaders including the German President leave for Mons for lunch. The photograph below shows A Company of the 4 th Battalion The Royal Fusiliers, resting in Mons town square in August On August 23 and 24, Mons became the site of the first battle fought by the British Army in the Great War. The British were forced to retreat and the town was occupied by the Germans until its liberation by the Canadian Corps during the final days of the war. Within the front entrance to the Town Hall are several memorial placards related to the Great War, including one with the following inscription: MONS WAS RECAPTURED BY THE CANADIAN CORPS ON THE 11th NOVEMBER 1918: AFTER FIFTY MONTHS OF GERMAN OCCUPATION, FREEDOM WAS RESTORED TO THE CITY: HERE WAS FIRED THE LAST SHOT OF THE GREAT WAR. Mons is the capital of the Belgian province of Hainaut. It s a picturesque little town with a fine selection of cafes, bars and restaurants. We ll spend a couple of leisurely hours here before moving back off towards Arras again. Other points of interest in Mons include the Gothic Town Hall; The Belfry (a UNESCO World Heritage site); the Collegiate Church of Sainte-Waudru, and the Decorative Arts Museum François Duesberg with its unique clock collection. Vincent Van Gogh lived in Mons for a time, and his house is preserved and open to the public depart for Loos British Cemetery, Loos-en-Gohelle. 4

5 16.00 arrive Loos. Loos British Cemetery is the likely burial place of James Speedie, first of the Heart of Midlothian footballers to die in the Great War. It was Speedie s unheralded enlistment in the Cameron Highlanders at Tynecastle that encouraged his fellow Hearts players to take up Sir George McCrae s offer just two weeks later. James was killed in action in the opening hours of the British offensive at Loos on 25 September Although he s commemorated at Dud Corner Memorial to the Missing (which the McCrae s Pilgrimage visited in 2009), it s likely that his remains lie alongside those of his fallen comrades at Loos British Cemetery on the southern edge of the town. Loos British Cemetery was begun by the Canadian Corps in July 1917, and the original burials are contained in Rows A and B of Plot I and Row A of Plot II. The remainder of the cemetery was formed after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from the battlefields and smaller cemeteries over a wide area north and east of the town depart Loos arrive back at hotel in Arras for a free evening. Friday 3 July rise and pack depart Arras by coach to return to UK via Channel Tunnel. On arrival in UK, remember to re-adjust watches back one hour. There will be regular comfort stops during the return journey and one longer break for lunch arrive Waterloo Place, Edinburgh. We hope you ll enjoy your trip with us and that you ll consider joining us again in the future. Thanks for coming! Trustees of McCrae s Battalion Trust February