paul swann Posted 13 January , 2008 Share Posted 13 January , 2008 Hello All, My wife & I are going to lille for 2 nights on Eurostar. Is anyone aware of a short battlefield tour of The Loos or Fromelles areas? Kind regards Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 13 January , 2008 Share Posted 13 January , 2008 Check out these two websites: http://pagesperso-orange.fr/asso.sltdlgg/index.htm (The Loos Museum-who do guided tours of the Double Crassier etc) and http://www.battlefields1418.com/loos_tour.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul swann Posted 13 January , 2008 Author Share Posted 13 January , 2008 Hello Mark, Thanks for the information. It's just what we need. Kind regards Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick D Posted 13 January , 2008 Share Posted 13 January , 2008 Paul, Both are easy places to visit, I've been to both on several occaisions, is there anything in partticular that your after ? Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul swann Posted 13 January , 2008 Author Share Posted 13 January , 2008 Hi Mick, We will have a day & a half in lille. Bearing in mind we are on foot i would like to see anything WW1 related in the area which would be easy to get to. Kind regards Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick D Posted 13 January , 2008 Share Posted 13 January , 2008 I don't know anything about getting there under your own steam unfortunatley. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 13 January , 2008 Share Posted 13 January , 2008 If you are visiting without a car, you will have to get a train to Lens and then I believe there are buses to Loos. Remember local trains are not frequent in France, and you will need to plan your visit and be prepared to speak a little French to get tickets and speak to the bus driver. You can trace trains here: http://www.ter-sncf.com/nord_pas_de_calais//index.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelab Posted 14 January , 2008 Share Posted 14 January , 2008 I think you really would need to rent a car for a day in order to get the most out of any battlefield visiting. Which seems a shame if you have only a day and a half in Lille... The city centre is beautiful, with great Flemish architecture, excellent shops, and a picturesque Old Town. Among the town museums with a tenuously WWI-related feel would be the birthplace/museum of General Charles de Gaulle (wounded and captured at Verdun and a POW in Germany from 1916-1918). It's just north of the old town at 9 Rue Princesse; open Wed-Sun 10-12 and 2-6. Admission 5 euros. Audioguides available in English. There is also the Musee des Canonniers Sedentaires, full of artillery weapons (sorry, is that tautology?). It's at 44 Rue des Canonniers Sedentaires (but entrance in Rue des Urbanistes, on the eastern edge of the old town). You can see a bit about it here; its proper website doesn't seem to be working. It is a force with a long history that was originally raised to defend the city of Lille. In WWI it was commended for its part in defending the area east of Dunkerque. Open Wed, Thurs, Sat, Sun 2-5pm. 5 euros. All in French, but if you like old guns and uniforms you will love it... Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred van Woerkom Posted 15 January , 2008 Share Posted 15 January , 2008 Paul, The railways station at Lens is worth a good look: it is supposed to look like an old steamloc. Inside are some good twenties style murals of the industrial town Lens is and was. Remember SC Lens is to the North of France as Real Madrid is to Madrid. The Loos Museum is worth a visit too and the Double Crassier is even better. Gilles, the guide, is a great guy. He will take you there, up the slag heaps. From there you can see Dud Corner Cemetery, surely one of the most beautiful cemeteries. Enjoy your trip. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 15 January , 2008 Share Posted 15 January , 2008 In Lille, near center I think, is a good memorial to the refugees of WW1, Lille was the largest occupied city. A great account is The Long Silence, Helen McPhail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelab Posted 16 January , 2008 Share Posted 16 January , 2008 Actually, now you mention it Paul, there seem to be quite a lot of memorials in Lille connected with WWI. Here is a Wikepedia page (in French). Under the heading "Statues érigées entre 1918 et 1940" are a number relating to World War I, with information on where they are to be found (or in some cases where they have been moved to). They commemorate everything from WWI Resistants to carrier pigeons. Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyme Posted 16 January , 2008 Share Posted 16 January , 2008 heres my 2p's worth which you can quite happily discard. By the time you book a tour that will only last 2 to 3 hours and will be rushed and wont give you time to nosey about. Rent a car, and buy a battlefield guide book. Car rental in the continent is quite cheap compared to the uk. You can go where you want then and even drop the wife at the shops when shes fed up and you can have time alone to read your book at the sites you want to see. Tours are fine but not the be all and end all if you know what i mean. Anyway thats what i do and i love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul swann Posted 17 January , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 January , 2008 Apologies for taking so long getting back to the forum. Firstly a BIG thankyou to all of you for taking the time to share your knowledge with me. Prior to arriving in lille I'll hire a car. The books I have already. The main thing left to do is explain to my Wife that I won't be spending much time shopping with her! I'll have to leave my credit card with, but it will be worth it. Thanks Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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