Imperial War Museum/Australian War Memorial
Study Tour Itinerary

Pre-tour: Day 1 - 21 September

IWM Party depart London Heathrow for Crete via Athens. Australians greet British team on arrival.

Crete: Day 1 - 22 September

Contingents meet at breakfast at Hotel Olympic
0800 Depart Heraklion: head westwards on trans-Crete Highway
0900 Pass Rethymno (80 km from Heraklion); 0930 arrive Vrises - refreshments in kafenion; 1030 Pass Hania; 1100 Arrive Hill 107 German cemetery, Maleme

Maleme Airstrip
Stand 1: Bob Courtney, German plan, paratroops and landings (to come)
Stand 2: Janette Condon, 28 Maori Battalion at Maleme (to come)

Bus to Tavronitis River bridge and RAF memorial
Stand 3: Brad King, personal action of uncle serving in RAF awarded MM at Maleme - poppy laying (to come)

1230 Lunch at Hania

1400 Bus leaves for Galatas via German paratroops memorial

1430 Arrive Galatas: New Zealand memorial (poppy laying)
Stand 4: Nick Hewitt, Galatas

1500 Depart Galatas for Suda Bay, CWGC cemetery and poppy laying
Stand 5: Nick Hewitt, the Royal Navy and Crete (part 1 of 2)

1615 depart Suda Bay cemetery for 42nd Street

1630 arrive 42nd Street
Stand 6: Peter Stanley, 42nd Street

1645-1700 depart 42nd Street to return to Hania. Check in to Hotel Kriti and free time.

Crete: Day 2 - 23 September

0830 Board bus depart hotels for Villa Bella Campania at Perivolia (the one near Hania not Rethymno) with Alf Gotts where he guarded King George and watched the German landings.

0945 depart Villa Bella Campania for Askyfou en route for Sfakia. On the way visit the 'battlefield' museum on the mountain road near Askyfou.

1145-1200 arrive Askyfou
Stand 7: Michael Winters, Cretan experience and remembrance of war (to come)

1230-1245 arrive Sfakia
Stand 8: Simon Donnelly, Evacuation of Allied troops from Sfakia

Alf Gotts describes his personal journey over the mountains to Sfakia.

Stand 9: Nick Hewitt, the Royal Navy and Crete (2 of 2)

Lunch in Sfakia. Depart 1415 for Rethymno.

1600 Arrive Rethymno: bus to Stavremenos.
Stand 10: Madeleine Chaleyer, 2/1st Battalion at Stavremenos and Hill A (to come)

1730 Bus to Rethymno. Check in to the Hotel Theartemis Palace

Evening at liberty

Crete: Day 3 - 24 September

0900 Depart Hotel Theartemis Palace for Perivolia (the one near Rethymno not Hania).

0930 arrive Church of St Georgiou
Stand 11: Peter Stanley, 2/11th Battalion at Perivolia

Stand 12: Brian Manns: talks about his father - captured on Crete with 2/1st Battalion (to come)

1045-1100 depart Perivolia area for Heraklion. Lunch on arrival

1430 Drive to 'Charlies' in vicinity of Heraklion airport
Stand 13: Kay Gladstone and Stand 14: Garth Pratten on Heraklion introducing a tour wide discussion/symposium on the whole of the Crete campaign as highlighted in tour to draw the first part to a suitable conclusion at about 1400.

At liberty in Heraklion before proceeding to airport.

Depart Heraklion at 2025 and arrive in Athens at 2120.

El Alamein: Day 1 - 25 September

Depart Athens 0050; arrive in Cairo 0235.

Clear immigration hopefully by 0330 and bus to Cairo El Gezirah Sheraton Hotel, Gezirah Island, Orman Giza. Check in and (if possible) sleep until around 08.30.

Breakfast: depart Cairo by bus at 10.00.

1430 Arrive Hilton Borg el Arab Hotel, Borg el Arab, Alexandria

1530-1600 gather on the beach at Borg El Arab

Hilton Borg el Arab beach
Stand 1: Laurie Milner, Eighth Army Commanders (to come)
Stand 2: Peter Stanley, Dominion commanders and forces (to come)
Stand 3: Nick Hewitt, Naval operations in the Mediterranean
Stand 4: Kay Gladstone, Filming the Desert War

El Alamein: Day 2 - 26 September

09.00 bus westwards past El Alamein to Italian memorial
0930 Stand 5: Ian Kelly, 2/24th Bn and 621 Company on 10 July

Bus to German memorial
1000 Stand 6: Jo Lancaster, Conditions in the Western Desert

1015 bus to Tel el Eisa
1030 Stand 7: Craig Tibbitts, The defence of Tel el Eisa

1100 bus to Ruin Ridge
1130 Stand 8: Peter Stanley, The attacks on Ruin Ridge (to come)

1200 lunch á la Eighth Army

bus to The Blockhouse and Saucer area
1400 Stand 9: Mark Johnston, The Blockhouse (to come)
1430 Stand 10: Chris Coulthard-Clark, The Saucer

Return eastwards via Barrel Hill, Sidi Abd el Rahman, 'Minefield' markers, Ring Contour 25 and Thompson's Post (Mark Johnston may speak briefly at some of these)

1715 El Alamein station Stand 11: Matthew Crilly, Logistics

Return to hotel by 1800

El Alamein: Day 3 - 27 September

0900 Depart hotel in four-wheel drives

0945 Alam el Halfa Ridge Stand 12: Chris Plant, The Battle of Alam el Halfa

1100 Qattara Depression (Laurie Milner to give an overview of the layout of the line as we go)

1130 Ruweisat Ridge Stand 13: Alan Jeffreys, The Indian Army in North Africa

1245 Stop for lunch at Lightfoot start line

1315 - 1400 Lightfoot start line
Stand 14: Clare Simpson, 51st Highland Division
Stand 20: Andrew Colquhoun, Armoured Operations At Alamein
Stand 15: Garth Pratten, 9th Australian Division (to come)

1530 Snipe Stand 16: Laurie Milner, Rifle Brigade at 'Snipe' (to come)

1630 Marseilles memorial Stand 17: Brad King, Desert Air Force (to come)

1700-1800 Supercharge line/Rahman track
Stand 18: Andrew Colquhoun, Armour at El Alamein
Stand 19: Lee Wolstenholme, Rommel

Return to hotel by 1830

El Alamein: Day 4 - 28 September

0900 Depart hotel

0930 Visit to El Alamein Military Museum, Laurie Milner can give a guided tour if required (particularly since he's recently been instrumental in refurbishing the museum)

11.00 South African and Australian memorials and Commonwealth War Cemetery (Peter Stanley to read from Alamein: the Australian Story) and poppy laying

Contingency: time left to pick up details omitted on previous days for any reason, or visit Greek memorial en route; possible visit to mine clearance unit at El Alamein Station.

1230 Bus from Borg el Arab to Cairo

16.00 Arrive Cairo. IWM to Cairo El Gezirah Sheraton Hotel, Gezirah Island, Orman Giza. Check in and (if wish) sleep until around 00.30.

Post-tour: Day 1 - 29 September

01.00 Drive to Cairo airport to catch flight from Cairo to Athens, depart 03.45, arrive Athens 05.45.

Transfer to flight from Athens to London, depart Athens 09.20, arrive London Heathrow 11.20. Disperse.