Guelph Museums to guide McCrae 150 Memorial Tour of Belgium, France, and Netherlands this summer
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Lt. Col. John McCrae. To commemorate the occasion, Guelph Museums will lead a guided tour through Europe from August 19 to 29, tracing McCrae’s footsteps in Belgium and France, exploring the impacts of the First and Second World Wars on the ground in Europe and at home in Guelph, and contemporizing the McCrae narrative while reflecting on memorialization, remembrance, and untold stories.
This multi-dimensional remembrance journey will include guided interpretation by Guelph Museums curator Dawn Owen and former curator and McCrae expert Bev Dietrich, special access to museums and heritage sites, and exclusive music and theatre performances by Mike Ford and Murray Foster. In addition to visiting key sites including Essex Field Dressing Station, Canadian National Vimy Memorial, In Flanders Fields Museum, and Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, the tour will include a memorial event at McCrae’s gravesite at Wimereux Communal Cemetery.
This is the second time Guelph Museums has led a McCrae-inspired tour in Europe. In 2018, the Museum guided 30 travelers on a sold-out trip to mark the 100th anniversary of McCrae’s death.
The McCrae 150 Memorial Tour is offered in partnership with Frederick Travel. The cost is $4,735 per person based on twin/double occupancy. A $750 deposit is required at time of booking. To register, contact Scott Allen at Frederick Travel, [email protected], 519-745-1860 extension 303, or 1-800-578-8958.
Further information: https://worldwide.on.ca/johnmccrae2022/
Add Guelph Museums on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to follow along with the tour, #McCrae150.
McCrae 150 Memorial Tour includes:
- Return air transportation (tax included)
- 9 nights’ accommodation
- Daily breakfast, 4 lunches, 6 dinners
- First and Second World War landmarks and historic site entry fees
- Museum entry fees
- Private bus transportation in a modern coach
- Interpretation by Guelph Museums curator Dawn Owen and former curator and McCrae expert Bev Dietrich
- Exclusive performances of “Sons of ’17” and “McCrae in the Mirror” by Mike Ford and Murray Foster
Itinerary
Day 1, Saturday, August 20: Arrival at Paris – Bayeux
Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy
Welcome reception
Day 2, Sunday, August 21: Juno Beach Centre – Normandy Coast – Arras
Guided tour of Juno Beach Centre
Panoramic drive along Normandy Coast
Day 3, Monday, August 22: Wimereux – Boulogne-sur-Mer – Arras
Graveside commemoration at Wimereux Cemetery
Guided tour of Boulogne-sur-Mer
Day 4, Tuesday, August 23: Vimy – Beaumont-Hamel – Somme
Canadian National Vimy Memorial
Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
Somme Battlefield Cemetery
Sons of ‘17 performance
Day 5, Wednesday, August 24: Cemetery – Talbot House – Menin Gate
Langemark German Cemetery
Talbot House
Menin Gate Wreath Ceremony
Day 6, Thursday, August 25: Flanders Fields Museum – Cemetery
Guided tour of In Flanders Fields Museum
Essex Field Dressing Station and Essex Farm Cemetery
McCrae in the Mirror performance
Day 7, Friday, August 26: Passchendaele – Bruges – Ieper
Memorial Museum Passchendaele
Tyne Cot Cemetery
Food walking tour in Bruges
Day 8, Saturday, August 27: Groesbeek – Apeldoorn – Amsterdam
Guided tour of the Freedom Museum
Canadian War Cemetry of Groesbeek
Audio tour on the “Canadian Walk”
Canadian Liberation Monument
Day 9, Sunday, August 28: Amsterdam
Boat tour on the Grachten
Farewell Dinner
Day 10, Monday, August 29: Departure
Testimonials from the In the Footsteps of John McCrae 2018 Tour
“Emotional trip. Proud to be present to appreciate and honour the work of Lt. Col. McCrae”
“This trip will be remembered by all of us, forever.”
“With a heart full of thanks for the trip of a lifetime.”
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Media Contact:
Tammy Adkin, Manager, Museums and Culture
519-836-1221 ext 2775
226-821-4125 (mobile)
[email protected]
