Canadian Battlefield Tours

28/10/2024

Just got this nice testimonial. It speaks well to the quality I guides that work with me on my Canadian Battlefield Tours. Well done Robin!

Dear Robin

I want to thank you very much for giving a very excellent tour of the Canadian experience during and following D day. It is a trip we will never forget. I remain in awe of the experiences these men had to go through during this time. We cannot thank them enough. And you bring their stories to life!! You have a real gift for this. Thank you for the work that you do and reminding us what can happen, and the consequences when evil takes over. I feel at this time we are losing the lessons of history.

Richard & Rosanne Hill
Ottawa, Ontario.

22/10/2024

Great way to end the day. Just booked a combination Rhine & Liberation of Holland Tour for a couple from Red Deer , following the Calgary Highlander Regt. June 1-3, 2025. The wife's father served on a 6 pound anti-tank gun. They will enjoy this tour, definitely one of my personal favourite tours.

14/10/2024

Just received this powerful and moving testimonial from a guest who took a 4 day pilgrimage tour Sept. 13-16, 2024. Great review!

Hi Gary

Just thought I would add my voice to the glowing reviews your organization has received over the years.

Like many others I found you by chance on the Internet and was interested in the outlined itinerary for the Canadian focused tour since my mother's father H.L. Bond and his brother L.A. Bond had been killed within a few months of each other in 1917 at battles only known to most of us by the names Vimy & Passchendale. A third brother, E.E. Bond, served in the British Army and died in 1918 near Dud Corner.

I decided on your tour since it could be focused specifically on my family members and I would not be part of the herd on a group tour.
True, it was considerably more expensive than a group tour but, for me, it was entirely worth the money.
My guide was Jon Haslock and he more than lived up to the description you provided of his expertise.

Jon had done considerable research into my relatives activities prior to their deaths. He showed me the approximate area where each one died and described quite clearly the sequence of events of the battles they were involved in. Thanks to Jon I now know more about the conditions in which they lived and fought and died than I did before the tour. He has greatly expanded my knowledge of the reasons the war unfolded as it did.

I found Jon very easy to get along with and we soon discovered a common interest in old cars and motorcycles.
He managed to fit in a stop at a local aircraft museum for me which also included several cars which was very kind of him.

As an example of the advantages of a personalized tour like this one I asked to see the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres.
Jon arranged it that we arrived early enough for me to get a good spot to see it and take some photos as well.
Much of the town has been rebuilt more or less as it was originally laid out but inevitably with some differences.
As we were walking back to the car along the city streets in near darkness Jon stopped outside of one of the buildings and pointed towards the ground.
Looking closely I saw there were two skeleton keys fixed to the paving stones with names printed on them.
Jon told me that these were the names of families that had lived at that location during the war and that their homes had been destroyed.
This was part of a recent initiative by the town of Ypres to commemorate the lives of previous residents.
I noticed several other easily missed keys after this and it serves as a stark reminder of the toll of war on civilian population.

An unexpected and interesting part of the four days for me was noticing the cordial interactions between Jon and other tour guides we crossed paths with as well as staff at various visitors centers.
Jon is clearly a strong part of a close-knit guiding community.

I would not hesitate to recommend Canadian Battlefield tours to anyone with an interest in the events of World War 1.

Sincerely

Glyn Veale
Caledon, Ontario

** Glyn is an architect from Toronto who took a pilgrimage tour alone, to retrace his family history. As you can see by his testimonial, Glyn has a deep and substantial family military history. I am indeed proud that CBT was able to provide you with a tour that exceeded your expectations. Also pleased that Jon went the extra mile to make it happen. Nothing new there. Jon is that type of person and outstanding guide.

13/10/2024

Military shadowbox for Bdr. Charlie McKay and Sgt Ned Quinn on display at the World Class Military Museums in Calgary. The Military Museums of Calgary, Alberta is the largest tri-service museum in Western Canada and the second largest military museum in the country. The Military Museums is home to eight separate museums including the Naval, Army and Air Force Museums of Alberta, the Air Force Cold War Museum, the four museums of the founding regiments, Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), The King's Own Calgary Regiment and The Calgary Highlanders.

Shadowbox for Bdr. Charlie McKay and Sgt Ned Quinn is in the Army Museum of Alberta (third gallery on the left) in the case by the Canadian Women's Army Corps display, directly opposite the horse.

On the left-Sgt Edward Quinn 73873 83rd Bty 11th Brigade RFA. Sgt. Quinn medals below-
DCM, MM, 1914 Star/clasp, aka Mons Star ( Old Contemptible), MiD 3 x, British War Medal (BWM), Victory Medal (VM), Silver War Badge, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal w/Clasp, War Medal 1939-45

On the right-Bdr. Charlie McKay- M36763 #2 Gun ‘H’ Troop 112th Bty 6LAA RCA (Corps Regt.) CASF (Active) 2 CDN Corps 21 AG
Medals- 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal w/Clasp, War Medal 1939- 1945, General Service Badge

09/10/2024

Doing a bit of tidying up today. Explaining my Euro- Canadian Dollar policy. Have had a few questions along the way.

You will note that the quote for your tour is based in € euros. The reason for this, is, that all of our business is done in euros. However, if you decide to book a tour, your euro quote is converted to, and payable in, Canadian Dollars, calculated on the day you pay for your tour, using the daily currency exchange rate in effect at the time of the booking.

07/10/2024

Just booked a single day pilgrimage tour for a family of 5. The wife's great uncle in the battle for Upton Wood was killed there and now rests in the Abbeville Communal Cemetery. These folks are from Toronto, now living in London UK.

29/09/2024

Hi Gary

So our first day to Vimy Ridge and area actually ended up being with Alison, Jon’s wife, and the second day to Ypres and Passchendaele was with Jon.

I am happy to say that we had an amazing experience with both. They really complement one another with their styles, but we equally enjoyed both days.

They both were very personable and knew their stuff very well and we learned so much. My brain was swimming trying to keep all the information straight that they provided but it was invaluable to me in my pursuit of information regarding my Grandfather’s war experiences. I can hardly wait to get home and share what I learned with my family members.

Jon and Alison were very thorough in providing me with a timeline of my Grandfather’s initial battalion that he enlisted with to the battalion he was absorbed into and the division that he fell under with that battalion and their experiences from 1916 through the time in 1917 that he was injured.

Most of his battalion’s actions were in the area of Vimy and into Hill 70 and then up towards Passchendaele, so a lot of that was covered specifically by Jon. He was even able to get me to the area that my grandfather would’ve been shot in (within a few hundred yard range), based on the division’s actions on that specific date.

I was thrilled to get that close to where he would’ve been at the time and also to learn about where he would’ve been taken afterwards and to see a dressing station like that which he would’ve been treated in, in the area.

I have no problem recommending either of them as guides for your future tours.

Thanks for the experience!

Bonnie & Keith Murphy
Cochrane, AB.

**Bonnie & Keith took a Pilgrimage Tour to follow in the footsteps of Bonnie's grandfather. I'm really pleased that everything went so well. Well done Jon & Alison!

25/09/2024

Busy day yesterday. Booked a tour for a repeat customer. The gentleman and his wife toured with us a year ago and have now decided to bring their entire family of 7 to do the same tour in July 2025. 2025 shaping up to be a really good year.

17/09/2024

Well, a bit of a record for me. Just booked a tour, for May 2026. I have booked many tours a year out, but this is the first for 2 years. This tour, was initiated by a powerful referral, by the guest's Toronto neighbour, who toured with us back in May of this year (2024). Here is what his neighbour had to say about his tour. This testimonial can be found on our testimonial page.

Gary – The trip was perfect and we only have great things to say about Jon. I could tell from the first minute when my history-buff father-in-law and Jon started talking as we drove out of town that they were going to hit it off.

He took us to all the planned sites and some that were off the beaten track with very personal relevance. He had researched where the fighting was on the day my Great-Great Uncle was killed and was able to show me where he believed he had fallen. It was unexpected and very moving.

We give Jon a 10 out of 10! Even in the fourth day when my father in law’s energy was lagging a bit Jon was good enough to trim the agenda (at our request) and be flexible.

Thanks for everything. It was exactly what we were hoping it would be.

Bill Snider, Pam & Gerry Goddard; Toronto, Ontario

**These folks took a very personal pilgrimage tour to honour their relatives who were killed in WWI. They are – Pam’s great uncle – Pte. Arthur Francis Nanfan, 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR) 33rd Battalion; Service #7620. Died in battle August 10, 1918. Bouchoir Cemetery. Grave memorial reference 111.D.98

** Bill’s great uncle uncle – Harold Lewis. Serre Road Cemetery 1. Grave 1v D 11.

A draft itinerary for Canadian visitors wanting to get a good general understanding of the role of the Canadian Expeditionary Force’s role on the Western Front from 1915, whilst putting it in the larger context of the overall conduct and strategy of the Allied Command. The tour may not follow in t...

13/09/2024

I just noticed a great post shared by my good friend Mark Banning. The post was Mark's recollection of a tour we worked together on, 6 years ago. Unfortunately his post today wasn't shareable, so I'm kind of fumbling around, and I've got it essentially right. Mark worked with me on a number of tours over the years, and never disappointed. He is extremely knowledgeable with both WWI and WWII; has an extraordinarily pleasant personality and basically he is everything you look for in a guide. Just too bad he is taking a break from guiding. In any case, here is the post he shared today, that involved some very important guests....Thanks again Mark.

Mark Banning shared a memory.

6 years ago

Active
All this, thanks to Gary McKay ...

Mark Banning

I often have the privilege of taking people to the location of the actions of their relatives, as well as their graves in some instances, on the Western Front, but when I visit Normandy, the connection is more often than not from general as well as a national interest. However, today, that was a little different. One of my small group of two is the daughter of Major Tom Whitley, who was a company commander during the Normandy campaign with the Royal Regiment of Canada. He survived the war and had a successful career and life, passing away at the age of 90, but many of his soldiers remain here in France. One of his close colleagues, his second in command in July 1944 was a man known to all as Captain Bob, 'almost bubbling with energy', who breathed his last on 18th July 1944, when the Bren Gun Carrier he was driving hit a mine and disappeared. We visited his grave today, at Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, as well as those killed in the same incident, and it was when Anna said, 'Dad kept in close touch with his widow for the rest of his life', that I felt a shiver up the back of my neck and a bit of dirt got caught in my eye.
The book, 'The Guns of Normandy' by George Blackburn MC, is the first volume of his memoirs of the campaign in North West Europe and is to be highly recommended. Blackburn was the longest serving Canadian FOO, and served with the 4th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery. Major Whitley's Royal Regiment of Canada was in the 4th Brigade of 2nd Division. The two men shared many fearful experiences in Normandy.

03/09/2024

Well, 2025 is shaping up to be a good year for Battlefield Touriing. Just booked an 8 day Canadians Choice Tour (CCT) for September, for a couple from Toronto. This will be a Pilgrimage Tour.

This is our most popular tour option. It combines our two most popular tours into an eight-day action packed tour, including Normandy and WW1. This tour starts in Bayeux, Normandy or Arras. It is your responsibility to get to Bayeux (or Arras) to begin the tour and to make your own arrangements for....

28/08/2024

Hi Gary,
The 4 days were fantastic. Exceeded our expectations. My wife was worried she would not enjoy the tour, however she was enthralled and at times overwhelmed with emotion. We both were!
As for Jon, he is a keeper. Full of knowledge, very engaging and he knows his war history. Jon went above and beyond and really made our trip special. Once he found out I was bringing my bagpipe, he supported us in ever yway. Some highlights:
Ypres - I played the lament at the Menin Gate Ceremony. Jon ensured we were there in plenty of time and arranged a place for me to get changed. He even looked after my pipe case and clothes bag.
VIMY - Jon arranged and cleared the way for me to play at the memorial in advance of our arrival.
Somme - visited my Great Uncle's resting place at Serre Road No. 2 Cemetery. We then went on to the Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel. Jon researched and located the exact spot were my Great Uncle's remains were recovered in 1929 just in front and to the right of the memorial (about 30 meters. He then arranged for us to enter the restricted area and I played at the exact spot where he was recovered. I will never forget this and will be forever grateful.
Courcelette - When visiting the Tank Memorial and The Windmill, he pointed in a direction and stated my Grandfather's name, William Baxter Allan. Over there, where those trees and graveyard is located, is the blocking action the PPCLI performed, protecting the third division left flank, for the attack on Courcelette. Your grandfather was there. I was fully overcome with emotion and struggled to hold back the tears (as I am now). Many memories of my Grampa flooded my mind. He was only 16 at that time turning 17 in October. Jon even took us to that site, before entering the town and backed tracked a bit, down a road that the Regiment most likely travelled. Amazing experience!
I noted all the locations we visited and will send them to you later.
A final thought. I was very skeptical of the tour due to the cost at first. Also concerned with the communication cycle. Thought this lacked a wee bit. However, I will chalk this up to my own worries. The tour was fabulous and would highly recommend the same to others. Feel free to point anyone in my direction who may have several questions and requires some reassurance. Will be more than happy to do this for you and your team.

Regards, �Ken & Kathy Allan Kingston, Ont.