Links
First World War Links
Royal Armouries Museum
We are delighted to recommend David Cohen Fine Art which was founded in 1984 and specialises in paintings, drawings and sculpture from the Great War, 1914-1918.
Some years ago, Richard Dunning, the private owner of the Crater, invited fellow enthusiasts to join him and the Friends of Lochnagar came into being. The association now has 250 members worldwide. Annually at 07.28 on 1st July, friends gather together for a ceremony at Lochnagar Crater beside the village of La Boisselle on the Somme to remember the men who made the ultimate sacrifice in 1916.
www.greatnorthernpublishing.co.uk
Two main publications, The Great War Magazine 1914-1918 and The Second World War Magazine, 1939-1945, are published by this independent, family owned and award winning company based in Scarborough, Yorkshire. They are available by subscription only, so please check out their website for full details.
Owned and run by The Somme Heritage Association based in Northern Ireland, the Ulster Tower opposite the Thiepval Wood on the Somme is a replica of a well known Ulster landmark, Helen's Tower, which stands on the Dufferin and Ava Estate at Clandeboye, County Down. It was in the shadow of Helen's Tower that the men of the newly formed Ulster Division drilled and trained on the outbreak of the Great War.
Martin has published several titles with Osprey Publishing, with British Tommy 1914-18 being on their best seller’s list. Out of Nowhere, A History of the Military Sniper sold exceedingly well in hardcover and was made available in paperback in 2006.
Well known for their Battlefield Guides, Martin published Attack on the Somme, Haig’s Offensive 1916 in their Campaign Chronicles series in 2006.
The Somme Remembrance Association is a French association and although relatively new on the scene, they have already made an impact in attending or organising events. Martin was pleased to be invited in 2006 to be their Vice President (UK) to join Philippe Druin, Vice President (France) and the President, Philippe Druin.
www.westernfrontassociation.com<.p>
The Western Front Association was formed with the aim of furthering interest in the period 1914-1918, to perpetuate the memory, courage and comradeship of all those who served their countries in France and Flanders and their own countries during The Great War. We were founding members in 1981 and still have joint membership number 0006. Martin has been a popular guest speaker at many of the WFA Branch meetings.
We are delighted to highly recommend Varlet Farm for accommodation in the Ypres area. Charlotte and her family will give you a warm welcome and you can visit their own WW1 private museum on site.
Great War Research projects
The following sites may be of interest if you would like to get some idea of the sort of research that is possible regarding the Great War. Clive Gilbert is a friend and regular guest of ours, spends most of his trips visiting cemeteries and memorials far and wide in order to photograph and add them to the detailed research in these websites. The depth and levels of this research has quite taken my breath away!
www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/warmemorials.html
www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/somme.html
Online listing of a huge number of B&Bs whom you can contact direct to book. (We are in there somewhere!)
Motorcycle Links
A well-established motorcycle tour company. They organise a package for you that includes accommodation, meals as specified and ferry bookings as well as overnight stops en route where necessary. In nearly all of the properties an optional ride out with your host is included in the tour price. Check out the Small and Friendly section for our own entry and information on how to book.
www.worldofbmw.co.uk/content/traveltourdetails.asp?article=616
Tour Director Richard Harvey, who has been arranging motorcycle holidays and tours for the BMW dealership network since 1987, founded the World of BMW touring programme in 1999. Since then, the motorcycle tour programme has seen adventurous motorcyclists visit over 19 countries in all parts of the world. Richard leads a annual tour of the battlefields with Martin as tour guide and in recent years they have visited the Somme, Verdun, Ypres and Arras. See their website or brochure for full details.
Altberg are a specialist manufacturer of motorcycle (and also walking) boots. All their boots are made from natural materials and they offer a custom made and custom fitted service at their workshops in Yorkshire. We can personally highly recommend Altberg, as we both have pairs of their motorcycle boots and one of the great things about them is that they are comfortable to wear for both riding AND walking.
For biker friendly accommodation in the Ypres area, try Liz at Cherry Blossom in Vlamertinge, Ieper. Call her on +32 (0)57 301 555 or www.cherryblossom.be. Please mention us if you book with her.
A unique English-speaking bike forum for those of us who live in France and for the rest of you have like to travel here! Lots of advice and support provided, plus information on bike events throughout France.
We are pleased to add The Riders Rest to our bike links. Tony and Wendy are based down in the Limousin, south-east of Limoges. Check out their website for the facilities that they can offer you. Don't forget to let them know that you found them here.
Everything to fulfill your motorcycle touring needs.
We are proud to be associated with these guys. Ten bikers and 7 support soldiers in Land Rovers and a truck, mostly of the 1st Medical Regiment, based at Munster in Germany, ran a charity ride in February 2009 on 350cc ex-military Harley Davidson’s from their base to Timbuktu in Africa in order to raise funds for Help 4 Heroes. Our home was their very first night’s stopover after a long and tiring ride before they headed off to the Limousin. See their website for their route, their sponsors and the H4H charity, where you can donate if you wish. Go to Picture Blog and scroll down the page until you locate the daily report on the Sahara Starlight Trip, February 2009.
Go to our Motorcycle Tours page for our photographs about this visit to Orchard Farm.
Quoted from a letter from Lt. Col. M.S. Bell, RAMC, Műnster, Germany: -
“Thank you very much for your support to our Regiment’s recent expedition to the Sahara. In all, each bike covered c5,200 miles and we have raised just over 6,000 euros for Help for Heroes and ‘Phil’s Millions’ in particular. As you saw the boys were very tired with long days in the saddle, but the homely comfort and excellent meals offered by yourselves was just what was needed.”
www.thebestrides.co.uk and www.mapsman.com.
Make the most of your bike and your time with The Best Rides site, where there are hundreds of recommended rides in the UK for you to enjoy. These rides have been recommended by the people who know them best, bikers who have ridden them. Over 300 of the rides have a write up with them and there is a steadily increasing collection of photos and maps to accompany the rides. The sister site, www.mapsman.com has a large collection of motorcycle maps for the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.
*You will find Orchard Farm listed in The Best Rides Motorcycle Atlas France which was published in February 2009. We keep a small stock of this atlas for sale, but you might want to buy one before you travel in order to plan your routes in which case, contact the websites above.
Jack and Tiina Hawkins offer personalised motorcycle tours of the Normandy beaches, Pegasus Bridge, etc. They also have some accommodation available and Tiina produces and sells baby clothes.
The only place to hire a motorcycle for a trip around Ireland. Visit the website to get everything you need for a great biking holiday with the help of experienced riders who will ensure that you have all that you need in the way of equipment and knowledge of routes, etc.
Just south of Poitiers you will find this delightful biker-friendly B&B with the offer of ride-outs with Gary. Another perfect place to rest up with a cold beer after a long day's ride!
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs/nsf
A really useful site for anyone living in or travelling to France which also has a long list of biker friendly B&Bs which is worth checking out before you travel.
For a biker friendly B&B just 30kms north of the historic town of Verdun, contact Ian and Carol Moore at Two Wheel Moorings in Dun sur Meuse. They will give you a warm welcome and guidance on what to see in their area. Verdun is engraved on the French memory as the site of the worst fighting in the Great War. There is a huge amount to see there including preserved concrete forts and trenches.