2026 Battlefield Study Tour

On the morning of 29 May 2026, a group of 12 tired but excited students landed at Charles de Gaulles Airport. They had come from across Canada, from Vancouver to Fredericton to take part in the Canadian Battlefields Foundation/La fondation canadienne des champs de bataille 2026 tour. Remarkably, they represented 11 institutions: UNB; UWaterloo, Wilfrid Laurier; Queen’s; University of Fraser Valley; Nipissing; UBC, Okanagan; UQAC – Université du Québec à Chicoutimi; UQ Outaouais; Simon Fraser University. Seven were undergraduates; five were Master’s students. The competition highlighted the national reach of the Foundation.

This year we had the privilege to bring along two former CBF alumni as tour leaders. Megan Hamilton (CBF 2019) and Dr. Nick Wheeler (CBF 2018) were ideal guides for the tour. Megan has just completed a thesis at King’s College, London that examines imperial army training during the Second World War. Nick is on staff at the Royal Military College, Kingston where he completed his Ph.D, and is currently preparing his thesis for publication. Both were ideal candidates to lead tours in the future. We were also very fortunate to have Dr. Gary Sheffield along with us. An eminent British historian of both world wars, Gary provided much imperial context for our discussions.

With our trusty driver Kevin at the helm, we headed north to the Ypres salient. Our first visit to the In Flanders Fields Museum always prompts questions about the origins, conduct and legacy of the First World War.

On our first full we tried to grasp the scale of action and loss in the Ypres salient. In the shadow of Clemeshaw’s Brooding Soldier (the St. Julien Canadian Memorial) Nick laid out the first Canadian actions of April 1915. A few kilometres away, Will Stuart briefed us on the origins and evolving meanings of the Langemarck German cemetery. Its dark, brooding atmosphere is in stark contrast to the massive, bright British cemeteries at Ljssinthoek and Tyne Cot. At the first ‘block’ memorial we visited at Passchendaele, we recounted the remarkable events that Canadians experienced in the fall of 1917, both on the battlefield and at home. Three of our students (Mary-Pierre Touchette, Will Stuart and Renee Rousseau) laid a wreath at the Menin Gate that evening. Afterwards, Renee introduced us to Joseph Orgill, while William spoke about Cameron Donald Brant. They are just two of some 8,000 Canadians whose names are inscribed on the Menin Gate. As Emma Berg noted in her blog, it was a busy, but fulfilling day.

We departed the Ypres salient early, heading to the battlefields of 1917. Our first stop overlooked the Vimy battlefields at Notre Dame de Lorette, the site of the largest war cemetery in France. As Hannah Stack noted, the sheer scale of French (indeed, all) losses in the area offers important context to the actions of 1917. At the Canadian park, we toured the Grange tunnels and the trench systems before walking to Walter Allward’s famous monument. There Chance Padgham introduced us to Tikechi Shichi, a Japan-born soldier killed in 1916 whose name in inscribed on the memorial, one of over 11,000 missing Canadians who died in France. At the Hill 70 memorial, Megan Hamilton offered a keen overview of the battles of August 1917. Loos British Cemetery is nearby. Brandon Glazebrook led us to the grave of fellow New Brunswicker Harold Wilfred Shaughnessy. Sergeant Shaughnessy died in the fighting for Hill 170, but his remains were only discovered and identified in 2016. (See this CWGC blog on Shaughnessy’s discovery)

From our new digs at Chavasse Farm, we set out to explore the Somme battlefields. See Laurie Ann’s blog) Gary Sheffield briefed us on the wider elements of the campaign at the sunken road, where the 1^st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, sat in wait until 0730 hrs, 1 July 1916. We then walked the Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, where Abigail VanOene spoke of the Blue Puttees, the Newfoundland Regiment, who suffered terrible casualties as the reserve battalion of the British 29^th Division. At the Thiepval memorial to the Missing on the Somme, Denver Prevost found the name of her great great grandfather, Edward Wilson Wilkinson. He was one of nearly 78,000 missing British soldiers whose names are inscribed on the walls of Edwin Lutyens’ massive arch.

And what about the Canadians on the Somme? Near Courcelette, another memorial ‘block’ sits back from the D929. There Renee Rousseau gave us a cringy, but fascinating quiz on the tools used to treat the wounded in 1916. We also had a spirited discussion about the role played by the Canadian Corps from August to November 1916, an action that caused some 24,000 Canadian casualties. We ended the day at Adanac Cemetery, where Mary-Pier Touchette (a talented musician and member of the Royal 22e Régiment) told us about Piper James Richardson. His piping inspired the 16^th battalion at Regina Trench and was recognized with a Victoria Cross. Mary-Pier also introduced W.W. Wilson, whose remains have only recently been identified.

We spent the morning on the Somme, with Gary Sheffield leading us to Caterpillar Valley cemetery, and the Delville Wood South African memorial. As Denver noted in her blog on the day, Gary was “in his element” as he explained the battle’s progress through the summer of 1916. The Newfoundland Regiment’s memorial at Guedecourt marked the end of the battle, and our Somme discussions.

We then drove to Villers-Bretonneux, where the tower of the Australian National Memorial looks over the rolling ground east of Amiens. At the top of the tower, Brandon Glazebrook briefed us on the German counteroffensives in 1918. Storm clouds gathered, but a brave few pushed through a heavy rain to leave a digital marker at the grave of Jean Brillant, VC, a member of the 22e regiment. Mary-Pier, herself a member of the 22e, quipped that a heavy rain was like “le soleil des 22.’ (See Denver’s blog.) Earlier that day, we had fruitful discussions with the director of the Sir John Monash Centre on how digital codes might better chart the path of the Australians and Canadians on the Western Front.

We left these codes near Lieutenant Brillant’s grave.

The difference between how the Australians and Canadians commemorate the Battle of Amiens is striking. We drove south from Villers-Bretonneux to where the Canadians played such a crucial role on 8 August 1918, the battle of Amiens. We trekked to the lonely Toronto cemetery near Demuin, where Landon Munnings spoke passionately about Donald Whitcombe Morrison who is buried there. The commemorative block at Quesnel that marks the end of the battle of Amiens is seldom visited, again with no plaque or flag to mark its place.

As Renee Rousseau notes in her blog, our last day exploring the First World War battlefields was wet but fulfilling. It took us to Wailly Orchard Cemetery where Mary-Pierre Touchette spoke about the importance of music in the CEF. We also visited the grave of Pierre Eugène Guay, a native of Chicoutimi Quebec. His letters are the basis of Laurie Ann Paradis Master’s research, so her presentation had special meaning. A stop at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Visitor Centre in Arras filled out the morning, before we headed east of Arras along the route of the Canadians through the summer and fall of 1918. At Vis en Artois Cemetery, where many Canadian conscripts are buried, Emma Berg outlined the political challenges of conscription in 1918. Further east, near the Dury block, Emma Stack told the group about James Black Fenton, who is buried at Dury Mill British cemetery. The rains came later in the afternoon. Under umbrellas at Ontario Cemetery just beyond the Canal du Nord, Chance Padgham spoke about the morale of the CEF. Finally, under a tree beside the last block we visited on Bourlon Wood, Landon Munnings spoke about the artistic contributions of his ancestor, the artist Sir Alfred Munnings.

There remains far more for Canadians to know about the country’s role on the Western Front. The commemorative blocks installed across Belgium and France a century ago to identify Canadian actions now offer little information to passing visitors. Working with the Australians, other organizations and individuals, the Foundation can play an important part to make these sites better known and commemorated.

We left the Western Front this morning, (a “bittersweet moment” according to blogger William Stuart) and headed towards Dieppe. At the village of Puys, (codenamed Blue Beach) we tried to appreciate the horrible challenge and cost endured by the Royal Regiment of Canada. The inscription on the plaque near the beach remains especially powerful:

ON THIS BEACH OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF CANADA DIED AT DAWN 19 AUGUST 1942 STRIVING TO REACH THE HEIGHTS BEYOND

We then walked the main beach (codenamed White and Red) discussing why Operation Jubilee took place, and how it unfolded. Protected from the wind by the monument to the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, Denver Prevost spoke about the padre’s role in the wartime Canadian Army. That was appropriate, as we gathered just yards from where Honorary Captain Reverend John Foote helped evacuate wounded during the raid. Reverend Foote later received the Victoria Cross for his actions.

We started the day by visiting Pourville, where Colonel Cecil Merritt led the South Saskatchewan Regiment and the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada onto Green Beach. Brandon Glazebrook was one student who was moved by Merritt’s leadership. We then paid our respects at the Dieppe Canadian cemetery, where Abigail VanOene spoke beside the grave of Charles Joseph Emberson,  a 21-year-old corporal who fought and died with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.

Our first stop in Lower Normandy was at Pegasus Bridge, where crowds were gathering for the 82^nd anniversary of the invasion. Gary Sheffield ‘christened the ground’ where the first Horsa gliders landed in the early morning of 6 June. Julia Giardini then spoke about her great-uncle, whose plane was shot down in the North Sea earlier in the war. She brought her family’s Silver Cross to share with us. Another long day, but we settled into our new home at the Moulin Morin, in the village of Vaucelles.  (See the blogs by Mary-Pier Touchette, and Chance Padgham)

Despite the early hour, there were few complaints as we headed to Juno Beach. It was an emotional day of commemoration. Julia Giardini and Brandon Glazebrook laid a wreath in front of Canada House, where the Hoffer family has long commemorated the Canadians who stormed ashore 82 years ago. Brandon collected sand from the beach in memory of his great grandfather, Henry Allen MacDougall, who was wounded on the day. (Brandon’s blog traces his grandfather’s service from enlistment to demobilization.) At the Juno Beach Centre, Jeremie LeBlanc, Chance Padgham and Hanna Stack laid another wreath on behalf of the Foundation.

Thanks to Jeremie’s hard work, the Foundation was well represented during its ceremonies on this day. Our first ceremony was held at Le Memorial in Caen where the Foundation’s Canadian Garden is located.  In 1995, the Foundation commissioned 12 Canadian students to design a commemorative space in the grounds behind Le Memorial. See this assessment: Nan Griffiths, “Memory, Monument, and Landscape.” Canadian Military History 8, 1 (1999). Available here.

Emma Berg, Denver Prevost and Landon Munnings laid a wreath on behalf of the Foundation at the garden. A special thanks to Laurie-Ann Paradis and Mary-Pier Touchette who helped organize the many wreaths for both of our ceremonies.

Before our visit to the Abbaye D’Ardenne, we stopped briefly in the villages outside of Caen, captured by the Canadians in June and July 1944. In the village square at Buron we found the names and photographs of those Canadians who died fighting there on 8 July 1944. As the Waterloo region was the home of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada who took Buron, the names and villages of the lads who died struck close to home.  The ceremony to honour those Canadians murdered at the Abbaye D’Ardennes was well attended, and powerful.  As tradition demands, the students laid a maple leaf at the humble memorial in the garden for each of the Canadians who died there. Hannah Stack spoke to the events of those awful days in June 1944. A fine reception in the village of St. Contest helped strengthen the ties that the Foundation has built with the local communes. 

The plaques installed by the Foundation at the garden’s entrance remain in good shape.

After Nick’s daily briefing, we headed to the American and British beaches. Our group discussed the devastating landings of the 29^th Division on Omaha Beach. We then visited the cemetery, still very crowded with visitors. Having seen so many British, Canadian and German cemeteries, the style and message conveyed of the American cemetery brought much comment. (See Hannah Stack’s blog) We then visited Arromanches before surveying the impressive British Normandy Memorial that overlooks Gold Beach.  We made a quick visit to Crepon before ending the day at the Canadian cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer. As Hannah noted, “I am …in awe by how beautifully maintained the Commonwealth cemeteries are.” Chance’s blog notes how we paid a special visit to the grave of Sergeant George Attwater. Attwater was a Galt, Ontario native (now Cambridge) who died fighting with the Highland Light Infantry (HLI) in July 1944. The cap badge we left at his gravestone came from a University of Waterloo student who serves with the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, the successor to the HLI. We left a digital code beside his grave so that visitors could learn more about Sergeant Attwater

We returned to Juno Beach today, with Nick and Megan drawing on their research to discuss the range of challenges the Canadians faced on 6 June. Denver Prevost’s blog highlights how these visits brought an emotional as well as intellectual impact. The Juno Beach Centre garnered much positive comment. (See Abigail’s blog) In the afternoon we headed to the D-Day Academy in Rots where Dr. Jean-Pierre Benamou and his volunteers maintain a remarkable collection of vehicles, weapons and uniforms from the Normandy campaign. The students liked it. A lot.  A ride in two refurbished lorries took us to the centre of Bretteville-L’Orgueilleuse where we discussed how the Canadians defeated repeated German counterattacks. At Carpiquet, where the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment fought so valiantly in Operation Windsor, Julia Giardini offered a fascinating discussion on the language of war.

We pressed south of Caen today to explore the battlefields of July and August 1944. Our first stop was just outside of Cagny where Gary discussed the implications of Operation Goodwood, the costly armoured breakout south of Caen. We tried to imagine the scores of British tanks that brewed up in the fields beyond. That position helped frame another stop just outside of Bourgebus, where scores of Canadians fought trying to reach the village of Tilly la Campagne in late July 1944. That visit, as well as a later stop at Verrieres village, demonstrated how tactical success or failure often came down to the importance of ground. (See Mary-Pier’s blog)

The Foundation developed Point 67 with the help of the surrounding communes. It offers a remarkable view of the battlefields south of Caen, as well as an informed tribute to the units of 2 Canadian Infantry Division, who entered the battle there in late July 1944.

With swagger stick in hand and maps at the ready, Nick christened the ground and detailed the challenges of Operations Spring and Totalize. Denver Prevost spoke passionately about the men of le Regiment de Maisonneuve, her focus of study. At the Canadian cemetery at Bretteville-sur-Laize, Denver later sought out the Maisonneuves buried there. Among them was Avala Desautels. Emma Berg introduced us to a fellow British Columbian, Private Simon Bergen, killed in mid-August with the Canadian Scottish Regiment. As Brandon’s blog suggests, the student’s passion for their soldiers was contagious.

Our last study day took us to where the Canadians played such a crucial role in the final stages of the Normandy battles. We began at Hill 140, where a quiet memorial in the Norman countryside commemorates the costly encounter the Algonquin and British Columbia regiments endured during Operation Totalize. A Foundation plaque installed in the village of Rouvres highlights the challenges the tanks faced crossing the Laison River. A quick lunch in Falaise, then we headed east into the gap, where in late August 1944, tens of thousands of German troops were trying to escape. At the Foundation’s belvedere at St. Lambert sur Dives, we discussed the remarkable role played by Major David Currie as his men tried to hold the village in the final weekend of August 1944. Major Currie received the Victoria Cross for his actions. At Moissy, Gary led us to the final German crossing point of the Dives river, which became known as the Corridor of Death. Our last destination was the Polish museum at Mount Ormel, where the Polish forces fighting with the Canadians stood on the Macuga (“the Mace”) trying to stem the retreat of two German armies from Normandy.

We returned to Bayeux for our final dinner, before we said goodbye to Megan and Gary, who returned to the UK by ferry later that night.

Our trusted driver Kevin returned us safely to Paris, where the students spent an eventful afternoon and evening.

My thanks to Megan, Nick and Gary for making this such an informative and exciting experience. Thanks too to the staff at Merit Travel, and Foundation President David Patterson who worked out so many logistical details without complaint. Our Foundation Treasurer, Christian Rousseau handled our finances with his usual patience. Kevin, our driver, was patient, focused and always on time. Lastly, my heartfelt thanks to Donna Hayes, who kept all our spirits buoyed throughout the trip.

This year we had a students participate from British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. They represented 11 different institutions.

We have nurtured a solid group of scholars who could lead tours in future years.

Our relationship with French communes in Normandy remains strong.

The foundation could work with Australian and Canadian organizations to help visitors better interpret the Canadian ‘blocks’ installed over a century ago on the Western Front.

This presentation highlights the Foundation’s ‘sites of memory’ in Normandy, with proposed sites on the Western Front.

CBF/FCCB battlefield sites, past and future

The signage at Point 67 requires maintenance.

The signage and fencing at St. Lambert sur Dives requires maintenance.

We should install a new minesweeper plaque (pictured above) alongside the old minesweeper plaque on Omaha Beach.