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City & Village Tours: 0845 812 5000
A fascinating new day to mark the centenary of the
Great War available from summer 2014 and on into
the next couple of years: the price given with this
description is valid for all tours that take place on
or before 31 March 2015. We take a look at the
Great War as it was experienced by the families of
rural Essex and in particular we look at the stories
of some young men of Great Leighs where the vicar
kept a very detailed war diary and of the pioneering
experience of the young men of the Royal Flying
Corps stationed at Stow Maries. Such young men
as these were described by war poet Rupert Brooke
as
Men With Splendid Hearts.
Our guide will hop on your coach at Boreham
near Chelmsford on the A12 and you’ll continue
on together the couple of miles to Great Leighs
where the vicar in 1914 began to keep a detailed
diary of village life that offers a unique insight into
rural life one hundred years ago. At his church we’ll
be begin our day with morning coffee and biscuits
included in the tour fee and a talk and a short film
and slide show from the Blue Badge Guide and a
local family historian that shines a spotlight on the
lives, loves and deaths of some of the young men
of Great Leighs whose names are carved on the war
memorial here. This is the church visited by Jeremy
Paxman for his BBC Great War series.
On leaving this lovely old church with its round
Saxon tower we’ll take a coach tour of rural Essex
heading cross country to the Blackwater Estuary.
Along the way you’ll hear about local life one
hundred years ago including the role of women on
the Home Front and the first air raids on the UK
when giant Zeppelin airships used Essex rivers like
the Crouch and the Blackwater to find their way to
London and other prime targets.
We’re going to stop in Maldon for free time to buy
lunch. Several buildings in Maldon were destroyed
during a Zeppelin raid in 1915 and you’ll hear today
Men With Splendid Hearts - The Great War in Rural Essex
A Brand New Day Trip For Groups
