This week saw the finishing touches to our Beaumont Hamel Tour which will take place from May 17 to May 25. If you have read the earlier blogs you will know that our small committee commissioned Gerry Squires and Boyd Chubbs to develop an idea that we could use as a memorial to all OLD FEILDIANS who died at The Battle of Beaumont Hamel and also those who were killed during WWI. Close to 300 Feildians enlisted in the early days of the war. Many of them came from C Company of The C.L.B. Of those 300 there were close to 67 who did not come home and of that 67 there were 7 who died at The Battle of Beaumont Hamel.
Several of the enlistees were masters at the college when war broke out in 1914 and I am thinking of A.E. Barnard for example.
An old boy who enlisted at the beginning of the war was 2nd. Lt.Robert Bruce Reid. He was 21 and was the son of Sir William Duff and Lady Reid of "Bartra", Circular Road, St. John's. His body rests in Memorial Park very close to Beaumont Hamel.
Here is the itinery for the tour.
Dear Old Feildians and Friends of the school,
At long last we have the information finalized, to the extent possible, for the trip to Beaumont Hamel to bring the painting that is to be dedicated and mounted in the museum there in memory of all the Old Feildians that died in World War 1.
As you are aware a beautiful painting has been completed by two of Newfoundland’s best artists, Gerry Squires and Boyd Chubbs, and it will be delivered by us to Beaumont Hamel on behalf of all Old Feildians both past and present.
The trip will include more than just the dedication at Beaumont Hamel, although that is our main purpose. It will include over two full days to see Paris, as well as a five day tour of the Normandy and Somme Valley. Two days will be in traveling to and from Paris, a total of nine days.
The dates are: Leaving St. John’s on Saturday afternoon May 17th, and returning on the evening of Sunday May 25th.
The tour is limited to 50 people, 25 couples, which is restricted by both the tour bus capacity and the number of hotel rooms we have been able to have held for us in Paris.
It is therefore most important that anyone interested in participating in the tour respond by January 31st., as we will be using a first come basis for our bookings.
A credit card will be required at the time of booking from which the required deposit can be taken by our travel consultant.
The costs outlined below are now approximately two to three weeks old and may vary slightly when the actual bookings are made. We expect however, that any difference in the price will be slight.
The total price shown is based on double occupancy in all hotel accommodations but prices are on a per person basis.
AIR FARE: Air Canada ……………………… $1,146.15 including taxes
( St. John’s to Paris – via Toronto – return )
HOTEL in PARIS: Hotel Alexander http://www.hotelalexanderparis.com
Three nights ( night of arrival on May 18th and …,
May 23rd, and 24th, prior to our return )
Cost is 173 Euro/n or approximately $260.00 C$ which is $130/p/n
Cost for the three nights in Paris is $390.00 per person.
FIVE DAY BUS TOUR:
* Includes four nights in a Holiday Inn 3 star hotel in both Amiens and Caen.
Dinner on three of the four nights. Breakfast each morning.
All site entrance fees … and a bilingual guide.
Cost is $ 995.00 per person.
The total of the above, which are the major expenses, is $ 2531.15
Notes:
1. A deposit of $1500.00 will be required at the time of booking or no later than January 31st. Balance within 60 days.
2. You must obtain your own travel and medical insurance. This may be already covered on your credit card if used to pay for your flight.
3. An up to date PASSPORT.
4. Make allowances for contingencies, personal and unforeseen expenses.
5. It should also be noted that the dates of the flights to and from Paris is flexible and that they can be earlier or later to suit individual schedules. The only fixed dates and times will be the beginning and end on the bus tour itself. Anyone interested in making special arrangements need only contact our travel consultant.
6. Finally, please be advised that the airline and bus tour operator requires a minimum number of people for us to get the prices that were quoted, so your earliest response is required for us to maintain these rates.
To book on this tour you are requested to call Holly Rideout at 687-3892 and have your credit card number to give her. Any specific questions can be sent to her e-mail address which is holly-rideout@coldwellbanker.ca
On behalf of Old Feildians we are Dick Cook, Peter Chalker and Bill Rompkey.
