Speaker: Keith Quibell

Time: 11.00am

Location: THEATRE 1

Date: THURSDAY 31ST JANUARY

With the 90th Anniversary of the end of WWI and an increased interest in family history, 2008 is expected to be the busiest year yet for visits to the moving sites of the First World War.

Hear Keith Quibell, a specialist battlefield guide, provide an insight into how visits to the battlegrounds by Leger Holidays really enable people of all ages to empathise with soldiers who fought for their country.

Leger is the UK leader in Battlefield tours, with the widest range of tours, departure dates, and top-rated specialist guides, making it easy for you to get the full battlefield tour experience.

The talk will take you on a journey from the outbreak of the war and the first encounter with the enemy, through the carnage and horror of the Somme and Ypres, to the first mass use of tanks in conflict and finally to the last 100 days of the battle and the end of the war.

Keith will recall stories of his tours and highlight some of the key landmarks Leger Holidays visit such as the site where the first two VC’s of the war were won, the story of the Christmas truce and the memorial to the impromptu ceasefire, the underground world of the tunnellers at Hill 60 and the breakout from the Somme and the smashing of the Hindenburg line.

The tours are enjoyed by both history enthusiasts and those researching their family history and departure dates have been extended to enable greater access to families.