Current Study-Tour Blog Posts
Nicole and Hervé Hoffer received the Meritorious service decorations
February 15, 2023 11:03 pmIt is with great pleasure that the Canadian Battlefield Foundation (CBF) learned in late October 2022 that our current CBF vice-president (France section), Nicole Hoffer and her late husband Hervé Hoffer, the former CBF vice president of (France section), were both awarded the Meritorious service decorations
Read more78th Anniversary D-Day
September 11, 2022 8:41 pmWhile Canadian students were not present at the ceremonies this year, members of the The Canadian Battlefields Foundation from both Canada and France, joined in the commemorative ceremonies for the 78th anniversary of D-Day, on June 6th 2022. Photos from the ceremonies at the L’Abbaye d’Ardenne
Read more77th Anniversary D-Day
June 15, 2021 10:01 pmWith ongoing restrictions on travel and limitations for gatherings, a modest D-Day celebration was held at La Maison des Canadiens (Canada House) on June 6th. (left to right) Nicolas Hoffer, Nicole Hoffer, vice-president France and Olivier Hoffer (Director CBF) accompanied by their young daughters Lisa
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Maple Leaf Route Webinar Series
May 25, 2021 9:35 pm In partnership with the Canadian Battlefields Foundation, the Juno Beach Centre Association and the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society, the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies is pleased to announce the Maple Leaf Route Webinar Series. Every two weeks from May
Read moreCBF 2020 Battlefield tour poster and application is available
January 7, 2020 8:45 pmNow in its 26th year, the Canadian Battlefields Foundation Study Tour is intended for Canadian university students who want to learn more about the role Canadians played in the liberation of Europe in the World Wars. This year’s tour, led by Professor Geoff Hayes (University of Waterloo), Professor
Read moreJune 5th, 2019
June 8, 2019 4:45 pmWe had a busy past few days as we visited many military cemeteries and D Day Academy which was a military museum filled with trucks and Canadian, American, and German military equipment and guns. Today (June 5th) we started off the day by learning about Operation Epsom by looking at Hill 112 which was
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May 30th, 2019
June 8, 2019 4:44 pmToday was probably one of the most interesting days that I have found thus far. Starting of at the Australian memorial and monument for the First World War along with the Sir John Monash Center. This memorial was definitely one to remember as the way they told their story through their various films
Read moreDay 7: On to WWII
June 8, 2019 4:43 pmWow, day #7 already! What an experience this has been for all of us, with so much more to come in the next nine days. We are all very fortunate to have this experience with such knowledgeable leaders and passionate fellow-students. As you can see from the previous blog posts, we have had very busy days
Read moreDay 13: The 75th Anniversary of D-Day
June 7, 2019 2:23 amJune 6thmarks the day that, 75 years ago, Operation Overlord was launched. Also known as “D-Day”, Operation Overlord was the biggest amphibious assault in history, and it was launched by the Allied forces onto the beaches of the Normandy coast of German-occupied France. There were four distinct beaches
Read moreCommunity Commemoration at Saint-Aubin
June 7, 2019 2:00 amBy five in the morning we were already loaded up in our vans rolling down the road from Bayeux to Bernièrs-sur-Mer. With the Gendarmes setting up an intensive cordon of roadblocks around the D-Day Beaches, it was imperative that we arrive as early as possible. Although possessing the necessary passes
Read moreJune 5th - Commemoration
June 5, 2019 4:07 pmToday was another busy day following Canadian soldiers through the Normandy Campaign in 1944. We have seen so much through the last few days that it is hard to pick one thing to single out to talk about. An overriding theme that has struck me though is the appreciation of the French people for what
Read moreD-Day Academy to Carpiquet
June 4, 2019 12:45 pmToday we went to the D Day Academy to get a firsthand experience of some of the weaponry and machinery used in the European Theatre. The gentleman who runs it, Jean-Pierre, was very nice and encouraged us to pick up guns and climb over the vehicles. I love that sort of stuff, so I was really in my element
Read moreLiving History
June 4, 2019 8:26 amOur day began with a trip to the WWII cemetery at La Cambe, where German soldiers of many ranks and divisions are buried, including soldiers of the German SS. An academic interest in forms of commemoration carried me as far as the front gates, but I did not go further. My family lived in the Netherlands
Read moreJune 3, 2019: Exploring the American Sector
June 3, 2019 4:07 pmToday was a different sort of day than most of the ones we’ve had so far on the tour. We started at the La Cambe German Cemetery and that was a very tough place for everyone to visit. There was a heavy, sad feeling about the place and we all struggled with different emotions and reconciling the idea
Read more2 June: Normandy, Juno, and Commemoration
June 3, 2019 4:03 pmToday marks Day 9 of our battlefield adventure, and in spite of our aching feet, overfilled brains, and some sweltering heat, we’ve (mostly) remained happy and eager to continue our great learning experience by visiting more sites and sharing more history. As seen in the past couple blog posts, we’ve
Read moreJune 1st 2019
June 3, 2019 3:46 pmThis morning we woke to a beautiful morning in Dieppe. When we were loading the vans, we realized that the right side mirror on one of our vans had been stolen. Despite that mishap, it did not put too big of a damper on the day. We had our morning briefing on top of a hill overlooking ‘Green beach’
Read moreMy Juno Experience
June 3, 2019 3:41 pmSecond day of Normandy. After going to see the parachute divisions side of the D-Day landings, it was time to move onto the beaches. We started off by seeing the Longeau Battery, where I experienced my first ever time of seeing WW2 beaches. There were 4 massive gun stations, with a central command bunker
Read moreDieppe to Normandy
June 3, 2019 3:38 pmThis morning we woke up and began our day. We started off with breakfast at the Hotel Aguado, then we all jumped into the vans and began our day. Our first stop of the day was at Green Beach where one student had one of their presentations. After a quick stop at the town near Green Beach we continued
Read moreDay 7: On to WWII
June 1, 2019 1:15 amWow, day #7 already! What an experience this has been for all of us, with so much more to come in the next nine days. We are all very fortunate to have this experience with such knowledgeable leaders and passionate fellow-students. As you can see from the previous blog posts, we have had very busy days
Read moreRemembrance
June 1, 2019 1:13 amWrapping up Day 6 was a memorable one. For me, today was about individual remembrance. We received wonderful presentations on individual soldiers from two of the 2019 tour members; Cora and Mark. Cora shared the story of A.V.S Nordheimer, who fell at The Battle of Moreuil Wood. Mark introduced us to
Read moreCBF Day 7 - Longueval to Dieppe
June 1, 2019 1:11 amCBF Day 7 – Longueval to Dieppe: Only a week so far, this expedition feels much longer – although exactly how long I cannot say. Thiss is not a bad thing! Far from it. I have been very impressed with the amount of high quality content we are covering in the limited time we have available
Read moreMay 28, 2019: The Somme
May 30, 2019 2:02 amToday we visited several different memorial sites connected to the Battle of the Somme (July 1-November 18, 1916), including the Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel, Thiepval Memorial, and Courcelette. The whole day was very though-provoking and for me, the Newfoundland Memorial was particularly
Read moreA Day To Remember
May 30, 2019 2:00 amI must say, I am very impressed with the CBF tour so far. From the expert knowledge of the guides to the quality of presentations from the students, it has been an informative and moving experience. Today we visited a few significant Great War sites. We started the day with our second Newfoundland caribou
Read moreImpressions of Arras
May 30, 2019 1:59 amThe major theme of today was walking French and Commonwealth battlefields around Arras. The Arras sector was under the jurisdiction of the French until 1917, when the British took over over operations. The British and Commonwealth battles of Spring 1917 around Arras were largely diversionary in nature
Read moreExperiencing Battlefields in Person
May 29, 2019 2:10 amThis small tree at Beaumont Hamel marks the furthest point the soldiers of the Newfoundland 1st Regiment managed to reach, and the end of my two minute walk Today’s battlefield experiences drove home the reality of the cost in human lives that movement forward could cost in the First World War. At Beaumont
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Day Three: The Ypres Salient
May 27, 2019 5:26 pmDay three of our CBF adventure has been marked by a vast array of emotions and experiences. On the one hand, our group of 12 students and two guides have enjoyed periods of raucous laughter or quiet giggles, all while frantically trying to remember each other’s names. On the other hand, though, today
Read moreDay 3 - Ypres
May 27, 2019 11:44 amToday marked the third day of our adventure and it was packed full of locations, sights, and experiences. We started off the day by visiting St. Julien then went on to see Langemark, Hill 60 and 62, Passchendaele, Tyne Cot Cemetery, and a few small cemeteries as well. I think the moment from today that
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May 26th 2019
May 26, 2019 4:38 pmWe all safely landed in Paris a little after 9 this morning. Once the team got through customs and baggage claim, and we finally secured the rental vans, we were heard towards our destination. Once arrived in Ypres at approximately 3:30pm, the team leads (Jérémie and Marc) and a small group of students
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Sunday May 26: Travelling to Ypres
May 26, 2019 4:13 pmToday we continued our journey on the CBF battlefield tour. Our day began with arriving at Toronto Pearson Airport from all different areas of Canada. We all gathered as a group and boarded our plane to Charles de Gaulle. The flight went by fast, and by 9:00 am (Paris time) we had landed and were ready
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Let the tour begin
May 26, 2019 3:55 pmOn May 25, all twelve of the selected students for this year’s tour met in Toronto (Pearson Airport) with Professor Marc Milner and myself. Below is a group photo before boarding. After we land in France (Paris), we will head north to Ypres (Ieper) in Belgium. For more information about our tour
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