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John Hetherington Battlefield Tours

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John Hetherington Battlefield Tours

John Hetherington Battlefield Tours My name is John Hetherington and I have been teaching history in North Bay since 1987.
(9)

I have always been very interested in military history. Since 1983 I have spent most of my summers backpacking throughout the world exploring ancient and modern battlefields. I have also had considerable experience traveling through areas that have been ravaged by civil war. I have been making trips to Europe each year since 1991 to study the battlefields of the First and Second World Wars. In 199

7 I also began leading groups of students on battlefield tours throughout Europe. The route and sites that I have selected for this tour will provide all participants with an educational and memorable experience that will last a lifetime. This tour will focus on some of the main campaign areas of the Canadian, British and American Armies that fought in Belgium and France during the First and Second World Wars. We will be visiting museums, memorials and military cemeteries as well as the actual sites where these battles took place. There will also be opportunities to inspect bunkers and trench systems as well as meet some interesting people along the way. Special emphasis will be directed towards highlighting the various battle tactics employed by the Allied Armies while fighting in Western Europe during the campaigns of 1914 to 1918 and 1939-1945. All participants will be provided with a detailed dossier of the areas that we will be visiting one month prior to the departure date. This will include a comprehensive reading and map package designed to provide a more complete knowledge of the battle sites that we will be visiting. At each stop we will receive a full explanation regarding the significance of each site. Visiting the actual battlefields will allow everyone to gain a greater appreciation of each campaign. The sites selected for the tour will allow participants to develop a greater understanding of the tactics, strategies and weapons used during both wars. This experience is also intended to give all participants a greater appreciation for the sacrifices made by all soldiers who served in Western Europe during the First and Second World Wars.

02/04/2024

I know, I know.. while other people are taking pictures of great architecture and beautiful countryside on a tour I am off when I can to find evidence of "after the battle"
Juts 300 meters down the street from our hotel in Zutphen is the clock tower named the Wijnhuistoren. As you can see the Canadians did a very good job of laying waste to it as they fought their way into the town. The front has been modified a bit as the balcony over the door could not be repaired and a white concrete entrance replaced it. On closer inspection it had 1955 written on it. This was a tough one to find. Canadian soldiers can be seen in front of it after the liberation of Zutphen on April 8th 1945.

01/21/2024

I managed to find where this scene took place while out for a stroll while leading one of my battlefield tours. Canadian soldiers being marched off into captivity after the failed raid on Dieppe August 19 1942. The street is the Rue de Sygogne that comes up from the Western end of the main beach

12/30/2023

St Aubin sur Mer Juno Beach 1944/2023
Resistance nest 27 (WN27) Captured by the North shore Regiment and support from the Fort Gary Horse armoured and 19th field Regiment on the morning of June 6th 1944. This is the only surviving 50mm gun still in place along the coastline. The black and white picture shows the wreckage on the beach following the invasion. Also the remains of an M-7 Priest self propelled gun knocked out by enemy fire on the run into shore
This is just another location that we will be visiting during our 80th anniversary tour to Normandy in June 2024.
for details visit
verstraete.com

12/13/2023

Join me on John Hetherington Battlefield Tours and explore the Canadian route as they breached the Hindenburg Line in Aug/Sept 1918

12/13/2023

There is still time to sign up to join us on this unforgettable tour
For more information visit
verstraete.com

11/25/2023

Its always nice to hear about what someone from the tour says about a relative who was involved in an action when you are touring a site. This from Rick Cartmel and I never really knew why he was so interested in this stop. Glad we stopped here.

Additional Notes to Lt C.E. Cartmel’s Second World Wars Reminiscences

Updated July 2023 due to visit to France June 3 – 15th 2023

In my father’s memoirs he mentions my Uncle George Cartmel being wounded near Carpiquet in July 1944 and how he was brought back to life by the North Nova Scotia Regiment. I have often wondered about the details and where exactly was my Uncle hit by mortar splinters. While visiting France this year on tour with John Hetherington, he was presenting the situation of the allies being held up once they had made inroads into France near Caen by the Germans for I think it was a month delay after getting of the beaches and moving inward. John was explaining this at a site called Hell’s Corner and Captain George Cartmel, being a FOO (Forward Observation Officer) was attached to the North Novas to provide artillery support to them by calling in shelling where necessary. Well Hell’s Corner was where all this happened (Uncle George being put out of action). Of course George when healed got back into the fighting and left Germany in 1946 serving as a Major and helping the reorganization / policing of peace time Germany

09/18/2023

Join us on this exciting tour of remembrance in June 2024 for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Normandy. Contact me for more details
Booking forms will soon be ready. There is limited space on this tour.

07/25/2023

07/17/2023

Puys beach Dieppe and hiking to a bunker that fell from the cliff above

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Our Story

My name is John Hetherington and I have been teaching history in North Bay since 1987. I have always been very interested in military history. Since 1983 I have spent most of my summers backpacking throughout the world exploring ancient and modern battlefields. I have also had considerable experience traveling through areas that have been ravaged by civil war. I have been making trips to Europe each year since 1991 to study the battlefields of the First and Second World Wars. In 1997 I also began leading groups of students on battlefield tours throughout Europe. The route and sites that I have selected for this tour will provide all participants with an educational and memorable experience that will last a lifetime. This tour will focus on some of the main campaign areas of the Canadian, British and American Armies that fought in Belgium and France during the First and Second World Wars. We will be visiting museums, memorials and military cemeteries as well as the actual sites where these battles took place. There will also be opportunities to inspect bunkers and trench systems as well as meet some interesting people along the way. Special emphasis will be directed towards highlighting the various battle tactics employed by the Allied Armies while fighting in Western Europe during the campaigns of 1914 to 1918 and 1939-1945. All participants will be provided with a detailed dossier of the areas that we will be visiting one month prior to the departure date. This will include a comprehensive reading and map package designed to provide a more complete knowledge of the battle sites that we will be visiting. At each stop we will receive a full explanation regarding the significance of each site. Visiting the actual battlefields will allow everyone to gain a greater appreciation of each campaign. The sites selected for the tour will allow participants to develop a greater understanding of the tactics, strategies and weapons used during both wars. This experience is also intended to give all participants a greater appreciation for the sacrifices made by all soldiers who served in Western Europe during the First and Second World Wars.