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Battlefield
History Tours |
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Our last day of battlefield touring today.
We kicked-off at Hill 60 where John H described how the 1 Australian Tunnelling Company initially baby sat the mines beneath the hill, enhancing the tunnel system and engaging the enemy in hand to hand fighting, then detonated the mines on 7 July 1917. We then inspected the "hill", taking time to inspect the concrete bunker before taking the time to inspect the site of the Caterpillar Mine and the Tunnelling Company Memorial complete with WW2 bullet holes.
On to Black Watch Corner and Polygon Wood where John L described the battle that successfully pushed the Germans off the butt that gave them a tactical advantage. We had lunch at the nearby restaurant; carrot soup, warm and filling.
At Tyne Cott cemetery John H described the successful engagement at Broonsinde where our forces attacked just as the enemy put in a counter-attack. He then described on the ground the tragedy that was Passchendaele where the 3 and 4 AS Divs and the NZ Div fought themselves to a standstill with the Canadian Corps finally taking the position.
A short drive found us at Poperinge where we visited Talbot House where many Australians had a short rest from the fighting, and the British judicially murdered their own soldiers for the crime of suffering battlefield stress. Thanks to the Spelonken and Wilmansrust incidents in the Second Anglo-Boer War, no Australians suffered this fate.
A pleasant evening meal in a local restaurant and off to bed.
Tomorrow we visit Bruges.
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© Battlefield History Tours ABN 74107857705, PO Box 201, Northmead NSW 2152, AUSTRALIA, Phone: 1300 450 436 or +61 412 399 693
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