Liberation March The Canadian Liberation March from Hoofdplaat to Knokke-Heist commemorates the 1944 liberation of Belgium and parts of the Netherlands by Canadian forces during World War II. It retraces the 33-kilometer route taken by the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade during Operation Switchback. The First Canadian Army played a pivotal role in liberating the Belgian coastal town of Knokke-Heist. Their advance began in Hoofdplaat, Netherlands, and pushed through villages lik

Clan Sullivan: Carol, Pat, Terry, Michael and Brian. Introduction We recently conducted a WWI Tour with my good buddy Terry Sullivan and his wife Sandy Cyr. We were joined by four of eight of Terry’s siblings: Michael, Brian, Carol and Pat along with Carol’s Husband Rod. We focused on the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and as part of the Caribou monument visit, we visited the significant locations for the Sullivan grandfather Corporal William Sullivan and Private Wallace Pike, g

Introduction We recently conducted a WWI Tour with my good buddy Terry Sullivan and his wife Sandy Cyr. We were joined by four of eight...

Introduction This fall we are going on a Caribou Trail tour to visit all of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Memorials in France and...

8th Hussars and the Argylls Rachel’s buddies Janaya and Beth were visiting for the weekend, so I took the opportunity to follow my Uncle...

As part of the deal that has allowed me to explore the battlefields from Rachel’s base in Maastricht, Netherlands while she teaches at...

This year was the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Belgium and the Netherlands and the 50th Anniversary of the Canadian Liberation March. The Canadian Liberation March commemorates the liberation of the Belgian town Knokke-Heist by Canadian forces in November 1944, part of the larger Battle of the Scheldt. Each year, participants follow a 33-kilometer route from Hoofdplaat, Netherlands, to Knokke-Heist in Belgium. This journey traces the steps of the First Canadian Army,

My next stop on the D-Day tour was Gold Beach, the British Beach in the centre of the D-Day landings. Gold Beach had 4 sectors, but due...

Vimy Ridge and the Canadian Memorials I was originally going to call this Refocused on Lens to cover the locations I had previously...

I had posted about these locations during previous visit, but they are all iconic locations that tell the story of the Somme, so are well...

Every year, in order to honour the Liberation of Belgium and the Netherlands, the Canadian Liberation March from Hoofdplaat, Netherlands...

During my recent tour of the Somme, it became evident that the catastrophic losses on the first day of the Battle of the Somme was due in...

The Battle of Formelles was fought by the British 61st Division and the 5th Australian Division on 19 and 20 Jul 1916. The Australians...

Operation Market Garden was Gen Montgomery's bold plan to take the bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem, by dropping the British 1st Para...

The Canadians were given the task of clearing the Scheldt Estuary, so that the liberated port of Antwerp could be used to supply the...

The first stop of the day was at the Canadian Memorial at Sanctuary Woods. The Memorial stands in tribute to the sacrifices and...

During our trip, we have been able to hit 4 of the 5 Newfoundland Memorials in France and Belgium that honour Newfoundland's sacrifice in...

By 1918, the Canadians were known as the Allied Shock troops, so an elaborate deception took place to make the Germans think the...

On a glorious morning, we visited the Vimy Memorial atop Hill 145 (145 m above sea level), the highest point on Vimy Ridge. The ridge is...

Today's tour switches to the first world war. We started out at the Lochnagar Crater, one of 19 mine craters blown at 0728 on 1 Jul 1916,...