CAMBRAI 2017
BATTLEFIELD TOUR AND 100th ANNIVERSARY EVENT
INTRODUCTION
The Scarborough (1RTR) Branch RTRA Battlefield tour and 100th anniversary visit to France will take place over the period Wed 22 Nov to Mon 27 Nov 17. The provisional programme and travel instructions for this visit are shown below. Additional instructions and information packs will be issued as the visit date approaches and further detail is received from Home HQ RTR.
Places on the tour are initially reserved for those Scarborough Branch members and their wives/partners, who are regular supporters of the branch. This includes those Merseyside branch members who share duel membership with Scarborough. After that any spare capacity will be offered to Poole and Bournemouth Branch ex 1RTR members and ex members of the regiment residing abroad.
To register a firm bid to join this tour you are asked to complete the detailat pages 5and forward itwith your room deposit, which is £150, to the Branch Secretary Paul Ramsay by no later than
1 August 2016. The hotel requires a deposit of 30% of the room costs by 1 Oct 16, so it is essential that we receive your deposit at the time of registration. Details of further payments will be issued in due course. Please see further information at Page 3.
AIM
The aim of this letter is to set out the provisional detail and invite branch members to apply for places on the visit.
TRAVEL
Travel will be by luxury coach from designated pick up points at Leeds and Liverpool (exact detail and any additional pick up points to be confirmed) – then via Eurotunnel to Arras. It will be the individual’s responsibility to get to the pick- up point. Luggage is limited to one suitcase and one hand luggage per person. You may take your own food/ non-alcoholic drink on the coach. Travel times will be sent out once confirmed, but we are planning to depart from northern pick up points at 1000hrs to catch a train at around 1600hrs (UK time). This would get us in to Arras for around 1800-1900hrs.
Branch members are welcome to take their own vehicles, but will be responsible for all their own travel arrangements to and from Arras and during the tour programme.
ACCOMMODATION
Currently 60 Rooms have been reserved with the Holiday Inn Express in Arras. These are a mix of double and twin, with 3 disabled rooms.Those people travelling on their own who do not wish to share a room will be expected to pay the full cost of the double room. Those who are happy to share will obviously be able to split the cost. Rooms will be allocated on arrival. The hotel is located near the train station in the centre of the town and is bed and breakfast only. There is an underground car park at the hotel, for which there is a reasonable charge, as well as on street parking that is free from 1800-0900.
INSURANCE
It is your own responsibility to have adequate holiday insurance and a current E111. The branch committee will require you to sign a travel indemnity before departure and to confirm adequate insurance cover is in place.
PASSPORTS
A valid passport will be required. Please check your passport dates.
MEDICATION
If you are on any medication please ensure you take sufficient to cover the duration of the trip, plus a couple of days extra. There is a fridge at the hotel should cool storage be required.
DRESS CODES
- Smart casual to travel in and for battlefield and memorial tours (sturdy footwear and wet weather items are recommended for elements of the programme).
- Blazer, with medals, grey slacks, Regimental ties and berets are required for the Ypres visit and for the RTR Cambrai commemoration activities over the weekend.
- RTR Branch fleeces and polos.
PROGRAMME
Wed 22 Nov 17. Those travelling by coach will meet at the designated pick up points in Leeds and Liverpool, or wherever else we agree on. Both coaches will meet at the Maidstone service area on the M20 at a given time and following a comfort break move on to the Eurotunnel. After leaving the tunnel the coaches will head straight to the Holiday Inn Express in Arras where we will be staying for the next 5 nights. Once in your rooms you are at your own leisure.
Thursday 23 Nov 17. After breakfast we will depart for the start line where A Battalion formed up. Gus Daniells has an interesting morning planned for you. We will move in to Cambrai for lunch, after which we will tour the local area taking in the various RTR monuments and Deborah the tank. Once back in Arras your time is again your own. Details of good local restaurants and watering holes will be included in your visit pack.
Friday 24 Nov 17. After breakfast we will travel towards Ypres, taking in a number of significant WW1 memorials on route. A location for a light lunch will be decided during the next area recce. We will move on towards Ypres as dusk approaches. Once in Ypres you are at your own leisure until we form up for the Menin Gate evening ceremony where we will march behind the Branch Standards and lay wreathes in memory of those gone before. Back to Arras quite late and again the time is then your own.
Saturday 25 Nov 17. The programme for Saturday is unclear, but will be finalised once we know exactly what is being planned by RHQ RTR (now titled Home HQ RTR) in Cambrai. We do know that there will be a media presentation by an eminent historian at 0900 and possibly again at 1330, but have yet to be given guidance on attendance. A Home HQ RTR organised battlefield tour and football match are planned for the afternoon with a son et lumieres, organised by the Marie of Cambrai, taking place on the Grande Place between 1800-1900hrs. We believe there is to be an All Ranks and RTRA dinner that evening, but there are no details at present. (A LOT MORE DETAIL TO FOLLOW).
Sunday 26 Nov 17. Again, all details to be confirmed, but we are aware that from 1035hrs the Regiment will march through the Cambrai Paris Gate after receiving the Freedom of Cambrai, up the Avenue to the Main Square. The Regiment will then take part in a Parade with the town military associations and the RTR Associations and receive a new standard. Following the parade we intend to hold a ‘final night’ branch dinner in a suitable restaurant in Arras.
Monday 27 Nov 17. Breakfast, book out and depart for home.
FINANCE
The price you pay is for the coach travel/Eurotunnel and hotel accommodation. Those taking their own transport will not be charged for the coach costs, but will be expected to pay for all their own travel and hotel costs. A rough order of costs is shown below. These are provided as a guide at this stage and will be updated as we move towards 2017. Factors such as numbers attending and exchange rates will change the costings, but at this stage they should provide sufficient information for people to plan their finances. They will also be used as the basis for the deposit, which is explained below.
COSTS
Outline costs at current exchange rates are as follows:
Hotel:
Per night, breakfast included:
Twin/Double Room for 5 nights per couple or for a single person not wishing to share: £490.00
Twin/Double for a single person sharing: £245.00
City tax (2015 rate) @£0.61 pppn): £6.10 (payable by individuals at departure)TBC
Coach:
Final cost is dependent upon numbers. Current rough order of cost is £150.00 per person
Summary
Total cost for coach travel and accommodation for a couple: £790.00
Total cost for coach travel and accommodation for a single person sharing a room: £395.00
HOTEL DEPOSIT
As already mentioned, we are required to pay a 30% deposit of the total hotel cost by 1Oct 16 in order to secure the booking. It is therefore essential that anyone registering for places on the tour complete the Registration Form at Page 5 and forward it, with the deposit, or confirmation that a bank transfer has taken place, to the Branch Secretary by 1 August 16. Address and account details are shown on the Registration Form. The 30% deposit per room, calculated at current euro rate and rounded up, is:
HOTEL DEPOSIT: £150.00
OWN TRANSPORT
Those travelling in their own transport are responsible for making their own movement plans. A rough guide to costs (less fuel) using Eurotunnel is as follows:
- Dartford Tunnel (booked via Dartcharge website www.gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing charge)
: £2.50 Single Journey.
- Eurotunnel (rates vary, but approximately £150.00 return.
- Autoroute tolls: Around £20.00.
CONCLUSION
This is the Cambrai anniversary we have all been waiting for. The committee will do its best to make it a memorable trip, but will need your help to make it a real success. Please prevent it from turning into an administrative headache by responding to correspondence on time and keeping in touch with the committee should you have any queries.
FEAR NAUGHT
Paul Ramsay Branch Secretary
REGISTRATION FORM
SCARBOROUGH (1RTR) BRANCH BATTLEFIELD TOUR AND 100TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT
I WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER FOR PLACES ON THE SCARBOROUGH BRANCH VISIT TO FRANCE IN 2017
NUMBER OF PLACES REQUESTED…………………………………………………
PLACE NO 1:
SURNAME…………………………………………………………………..
FORENAMES……………………………………………………………………
PLACE NO 2:
SURNAME……………………………………………………………………..
FORENAME………………………………………………………………………
(please copy this page if further places are being requested)
THOSE NAMED AT PLACE NUMBER ONE WILL BECOME THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS REGISTRATION:
PLACE NO 1:
ADDRESS………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………...
……………………………………POSTCODE……………………..
TELEPHONE NOHOME………………………………………………………………...
MOBILE………………………………………………………………
EMAIL ADDRESS………………………………………………………………………...
* I ENCLOSE A CHEQUE FOR £150.00 (per person) FOR HOTEL ROOM DEPOSIT
*I HAVE MADE A BANK TRANSFER FOR £150.00(per person) FOR HOTEL ROOM DEPOSIT
(*Please delete as appropriate)
For banking detail see Page 6.
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TRAVEL CHOICE. For planning purposes we require to know how you wish to travel. Please delete below as appropriate.
- I WISH TO TRAVEL ON THE COACH
- I INTEND TO TAKE MY OWN VEHICLE
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PLEASE RETURN TO PAUL RAMSAY AT: 14 CAVALIER VIEW, CROSS GREEN, LEEDS, LS9 0SY BY 1 AUG 2016.
BANK DETAILS
Scarborough Branch has opened a new business banking account with Lloyds Bank for the sole purpose of managing the Cambrai 2017 financial activity. Details are;
Account: The Scarborough (1RTR) Branch Royal Tank Regiment Association
Sort Code:77 16 03
Account Number:21683760
Cheques should be made payable to the account title above.
Those wishing to pay by electronic bank transfer should use the sort code and account number above.
SAVING FOR THE TRIP
Those members who have paid their deposit and registered are welcome to set up a Direct Debit using the branch account in order to save towards the trip. Alternatively, cheques can be sent to the Branch Treasurer, who will deposit the cheques and forward confirmation by email. Regular savings updates will be available by contacting the treasurer.
Should you have any questions concerning the financial detail please contact the Branch Chairman/Treasurer at the following address:
Mr J Lyman
7 Chancel Walk
Broughton
BRIGG
North Lincolnshire
DN20 0JD
Tel: 01652781395
Mob: 07582147115
Email:
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