The Worshipful Company of Butchers (WCB) undertook its second battlefield tour in October following a successful inaugural trip to Ypres in 2024.
The recent expedition saw 23 WCB Liveryman, partners and guests make the journey, which once again was hosted by Mark Smith of Antiques Roadshow fame, as well as Peter Whapshott his friend and business partner in the highly regarded Barbed Wire Tours company.
Departing from Ebbsfleet International station in Kent by coach to Dover to catch the Irish Ferries 10:55am to Calais, the much anticipated new immigration process at the port was not as bad as had been feared, and despite some delay, the intrepid band of brothers (and sisters) reached the Somme battlefield by mid-afternoon where Peter Whapshott introduced the tour and the key points and locations of the ground the group was visiting.
Paying tribute to the fallen
Starting at the northern end of the Somme frontline, visiting the site of the attack of the ‘Pals’ battalions around Serre, was the main day-one objective.
The ‘Pals’ consisted of battalions formed within a particular town and Sheffield, Barnsley and Accrington, among many others, are represented here. Despite incredible valour, these attacks were a complete disaster, as witnessed by the numerous memorials and cemeteries in the vicinity.
Of special poignancy to the Yandell family, including Graham, Rob and Brian Yandell, who visited as part of the WCB group, was a special visit to the grave of Corporal George Henry Yandell of the Gloucestershire Regiment, who was killed on 17th July 1916. Graham and his brother Brian laid a wreath in his memory, and a citation was read and a minute’s silence observed.
Graham Yandell commented: “This was a very emotional occasion for us and the kindness of our friends and colleagues will always be a very special memory for me and my family.”
“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”From For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon
With the rain falling and daylight failing, the group checked into its hotel at the town of Albert before heading out for a convivial dinner at Avril Williams’ guest house in nearby Auchonvillers, which also has a fascinating museum, original trenches and a dressing station.
The battlefields brought to life
Day two took the group to the site of the Hawthorn Ridge crater, a massive mine exploded by the British under the German front line on 1st July 1916 and captured by Geoffrey Malins in his famous film of the battle in 1916.
Nearby is the sunken lane also made famous in Malins’ film, and the butchers walked across the same no-man’s land and into the crater as we heard of yet another disastrous British attack from 1st July described by Mark Smith.
Next was the Newfoundland Park, so named because of the sacrifice of the Canadian regiment of the same name on 1st July. The site is very well preserved, and the British and German positions are clear to see.
Mark led the group around the site of fighting that finally concluded in November 1916, when the German positions were eventually overcome by the 51st Highland Division. There are several cemeteries and memorials around this area and the park itself is a fitting tribute to the brave Lads of 1916.
A short drive south took us to the impressive Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, which records the names of more than 70,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers lost at the Somme with no known resting place. An emotional service was led by members of the group, and a wreath was laid on behalf of WCB at the Cross of Sacrifice. On the way we passed the Ulster Tower, dedicated in 1921 to the lads of the 36th Ulster Division who attacked, initially with some success, at this place on 1st July.
The tour now crossed the midpoint of the Somme battlefield at La Boisselle, and the next stop was the nearby Lochnagar Crater, where the British exploded 27 tons of high explosive under the German positions leading to a crater 67m deep and 140m across. Unfortunately, the Germans recovered themselves either side of the crater and the British attack failed to break through, again with heavy casualties.
After a very-much-appreciated packed lunch provided by the wonderful Avril Williams, the group travelled across the southern end of the battlefield where there was a fair amount of success in terms of ground taken, despite there being many heavily defended woods to overcome.
The group stopped at the German cemetery at Fricourt and remembered that they too were sons, brothers, uncles and fathers, despite the different uniform, and they suffered as much as our lads through this battle.
It was another full-on experience as the butchers group passed through the villages of Montauban, Guillemont, Longueval and Pozières, before another stop, this time at the tank memorial near Courcelette. This was the location of the first use of tanks in September 1916, when they supported attacks between the villages of Flers and Courcelette and caused terror to the German defenders.
All the while, Peter and Mark told some wonderful and emotional stories, bringing to life the Somme battle, which ran from July till November 1916. In particular, at this point, the contribution of the Australians and Canadians, who fought with great bravery and some success around Pozières and Courcelette, was highlighted.
The final stop of the day was at the pretty cemetery of Bazentin Le Petit, where, in a lovely sunny autumn moment, the group remembered Harry Hands, a Northants lad and a relative of Angela Evans, one of the WCB party.
After a long day, it was back to the hotel before another most pleasant evening at Avril Williams.
Remembering those who fought
The final day, when heading back to Calais, saw the group stop near Arras at Notre Dame de Lorette, the France National Memorial, where in the vicinity there are hundreds of thousands of headstones in British, French and German cemeteries, several of which the group paused to visit. A quite remarkable experience with incredible views over the battlefield.
At the Memorial itself, there is an astonishing memorial wall 1km in length, which records the name of every soldier killed in the Artois region situated between the Somme and the Belgian frontier. A total of 580,000 names of all nationalities was truly a mind-boggling sight. Several relatives were observed listed on the memorial by group members.
After a much-needed coffee (with some adding a cognac) and a walk around the National Memorial, it was back on the coach to catch the afternoon ferry home from Calais.
Everyone agreed that Barbed Wire Tours arranged and delivered a most amazing weekend in the Somme. Mark and Peter were superb hosts and brilliant tour guides, bringing the battle and the context of WW1 to life for the group, who really appreciated their knowledge and humour.
The intrepid travellers who joined the tour were all enthusiastic about another tour to be planned again next year. And in particular, Liveryman Mike Attwood was thanked for organising the group trip on behalf of the WCB.
