“Our trip had a profound and lasting impact on both Sheila and I. Our WWI leg saw us retrace the footsteps of three relatives including my great grandfather who was buried alive and rescued near Loos at Hill 70. Our historians, Jeremy and Guillaume, were brilliant! But our visit to Juno Beach and the Centre was something very special. The emotions of the week culminated in your theatre with the end of the video and the young family — I sobbed!
… Every Canadian should visit these sacred sites and learn, with great pride, our storied history on the battlefields of Europe.”
William (Bill) Best – October 2025
COO, Regal Holdings
As Remembrance Day approaches this year, many Canadians are recalling the powerful stories from their family about serving in World War One & Two, as well as many other theatres of conflict. Indeed, as a nation, Canada has an important military history to honour — one that should not be forgotten.
Like our great friend Bill Best, many Canadians are returning to Europe to learn those stories in situ as they “pass the torch” to the next generations. And it is at this time of year that those stories speak loudest.
In November 2026, CanHist.ca is inviting Rotarians to join us on a 15-Day Remembrance Tour to experience the Battlefields of Northwest Europe where Canadians served in the First & Second World Wars.
From November 1st – 15th, 2026, this immersive tour through Belgium and northern France will welcome Rotarians to travel to the sites of many defining moments in 20th-century history — Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Dieppe, and Juno Beach, to name just a few.
The Rotary motto — “Service Above Self” — is a worthy theme for such a Remembrance Tour, as travelers will get to commemorate Remembrance Day at the ceremony held on Nov 11th at the Canadian Juno Beach Centre on the beaches of Normandy. Few experiences could be more deeply moving than to stand where Canadian soldiers came ashore on D-Day in 1944, battling alongside our Allies to liberate Europe from the grip of fascism 80 years ago.
With an itinerary that focuses on our “walking with History” approach to travel, Rotarians will begin and conclude their tour in Paris. En route, they will stay in premier accommodations, be guided by experienced tour leaders, and travel in style aboard a luxury coach to destinations that define our history — from Flanders Fields to the D-Day beaches.
Competitively priced, CanHist.ca has partnered with Ellison Travel & Tours (London, Ontario) to design for Rotarians a customized tour that offers travelers a multi-faceted experience celebrating the joys of French and Belgian culture, cuisine, and heritage, while also commemorating the stories of Canadians in the two world wars.
Airfare is not included, allowing Rotarians maximum flexibility to travel to/from Paris with their preferred airline and explore meaningful deviations prior to or following the tour.
To this end, $200 from the overall tour cost for Rotarians will be donated to the Juno Beach Centre in support of their remarkable efforts to honour and commemorate Canada’s D-Day Veterans and their stories.
Space for this special Remembrance Tour is limited to 35 travelers, with space currently set aside principally for members of the Rotary Clubs.
Registration for this tour:
- Begins: November 10th, 2025
- Closes: December 15th, 2025
All tour details are available at:
This will be an extraordinary opportunity to stand in the footsteps of Canada’s history — and perhaps reconnect with your own family story — remembering and honouring Canada’s role in the First and Second World War. Please join us!
‘CanHist.ca’ is “Canadian Historical Education Services, Ltd.”
Based in Orangeville, Ontario and 100% Canadian-owned.
