Sacred Ground Tours

An interview with Piet Chielens, the Content Director of the In Flanders Fields Museum. Piet joins Bruce Atkinson for a guided audio tour of this amazing World War One museum in the Cloth Hall in the Belgian city of Ieper.

Geoffrey Bouillet, historian at Museum of the Battle of Fromelles by Bruce Atkinson

Dawn Drouin works at the visitor centre and museum at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. She takes the listener on a guided tour of the site.

Harry Dalziel V.C. by Bruce Atkinson

Delfien de Tavernier takes Bruce Atkinson for a behind the scenes tour of Chocolaterie Ledoux where she makes some of the best Belgian chocolates you will ever taste. Learn some of her secrets.

Aurore Descamps- Ronsin at Polygon Wood, Belgium by Bruce Atkinson

Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate, Ieper by Bruce Atkinson

Come on a virtual audio tour of the newly opened Commonwealth War Graves Commission Experience in Arras. Visitor Centre coordinator, Lucie Boidin, is a fantastic guide on this journey of discovery in this behind the scenes tour.

Come on a virtual audio tour of the newly opened Commonwealth War Graves Commission Experience in Arras. Visitor Centre coordinator, Lucie Boidin, is a fantastic guide on this journey of discovery in this behind the scenes tour.

Interview with Steve Arnold who works for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission based in Arras, France. He is in charge of the exhumation and recovery of the remains of soldiers who are found on the former battlefields. He's also the horticulture manager for France and talks about the Commission's work to keep its cemeteries and memorials presented to such a high standard. He also talks about the impact of climate change on his work.

Gareth Hardware is the Deputy Director for France with the CWGC. He's speaking about the role of the Commission in commemorating the men and women of the Commonwealth who died in World War One and Two. He also gives an insight into the work the Commission does at its base in Arras and how the new Experience visitor centre there allows the public to see first hand the work staff do to maintain the cemeteries and memorials to their high standard

Interview with Professor Peter Doyle. Prof Doyle is a military historian who worked in the Dig Hill 80 archaeological excavation of a World War One battlefield in Belgium in 2018. The bodies of 110 soldiers were found. In October 13 unknown British soldiers were buried in a ceremony

This is an interview with Rosemary and Jim Blake from New Zealand. They are talking about how both their fathers fought in and survived World War One. It's rare to find anyone whose parents fought in WW1.

Interview with Jeffrey Vankesbeulque who operates an excavator in Belgium. His machine was destroyed recently when he hit an unexploded WW1 shell. He also talks about his passion for collecting World War One battlefield artefacts and doing re-enactments as an Australian soldier

Interview with Belgian amateur archaeologist Johan Vanderwalle who is building a memorial to all the brothers killed in World War One. It was inspired by his discovery of the bodies of five Australian soldiers in 2006, including John "Jack" Hunter, from Nanango in Queensland, who was buried by his brother in 1917.