Encountering history

Lynne McNeil considers how the month of Remembrance can be brought to life for visitors to northern Europe.

IN the month of Remembrance attention focuses on those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, particularly on the battlefields of the First and Second World Wars across Europe.

As the people of 2023 remember the fallen this month in churches and at war memorial across the land, plans will be undoubtedly already be underway for visits to Europe (and possibly beyond) for commemorative memorial trips to places which featured significantly in these wars.

2024 will mark the 110th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War and the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France – the turning point of the Second World War.

Those still able to provide a firsthand account of the Second World War are diminishing now with every year that passes, meaning the living history opportunities presented by visits to the battlefields are now an increasingly important attraction for those seeking to pay their respects to their forebears.

Visits to France, Belgium and Holland will often include a visit to the sites preserved as a living reminder to those who fell in battle during the two biggest conflicts of the 20th century. History trips can also touch upon the unspeakable horrors of war. The key to such trips is good advance planning, both for personal and group visits. Booking flights, trains or ferries as far in advance as possible is always advisable and checking out locations and any restrictions on visiting and opening times for visits to the sites is a hallmark of early planning.

Some travel companies specialise in bespoke trips centring around a particular purpose or interest. Many school groups use the former battlefields of northern Europe as the basis for visits to explore and bring to life history with poignant firsthand encounters bringing the sacrifice and scale of the battles to the hearts and minds of young people, now generations on from those who fought valiantly for all that we enjoy today.

Such visits are key to keeping the reason for the season of Remembrance alive in hearts and minds.

A number of companies now specialise in historic holidays, offering the chance to walk in the footsteps of fallen forebears, or understand the scale of sacrifice made during these conflicts.

Depending on the time of year, the visits can be combined with cultural (or not so cultural) breaks to other parts of Europe.

For those seeking to witness the symbolic poppies of Flanders, it is recommended to visit from May to August, but each season will bring its own value and will bring the retelling of the stories of old from the pages of the wartime history books to life.