Testimonials :

* Dear Sylvestre,

Just a note to let you know how much we enjoyed the tour we took with you on 12th August.
Your knowledge of the events, and the area are amazing, and we are more than happy to refer your
tour to our friends.
You asked about the address of the apartment we stayed in at Rue des Bluets. The website is
www.marneweb.com
This has all the information , we found it very convenient to the Metro, and being self-contained ,quite affordable.
Hope you are well,

Thank you once again,

Narelle and Brian B. / Australia

* Sylvestre,
Well we are finally back in Australia. We would like to thank you for the very informative, interesting and educational tour we did with you on the 5th and 6th of August 2008. Your knowledge of the battlefields is awesome in its scope and accuracy. The memorials to which you took us were in our opinion the best to get a really good idea of what happened, how it happened, where it happened and to some extent why it happened.
The most surprising thing to us was when you picked up the shrapnel balls laying in the fields at Poziers. It really surprised us that they were still laying about in such profusion. Without your knowledge we would never have realised such a thing was even possible to find.
Further the shells in the backyard of the house (by the hundreds if not more) requires local knowledge to find as does the visiting to some of the museum and memorials (particularly the museum in Peronne) that are not very well advertised here in Australia.
Thank you for a fantastic experience, we will reccommend you to anyone.
Feel free to place this correspondence on your web site or anywhere else if you want.

Hans and Heather L. / Victoria

* My wife and I recently took a 1 day tour with Sylvestre Bresson visiting some of the
battlefields and monuments of Australians involved in the WW1 Western Front sites of
Northern France. I was inspired to write this testimony. Sylvestre informed us accurately
how to get from Paris to Amiens where he collected us from the station. From there we had
informative and cultural experience I will never forget. From Villiers- Bretonneux to
Poziers with an exquisite lunch at Peronne along the way. Our guide was passionate and
highly knowledgeable presenting facts with humour and insight- he understands our reasons
for wanting to visit our past. I would highly recommend this experience

Greg Smith / Ashgrove, Qld.

* Dear Sylvestre.

Thankyou so much for such a wonderful and informative two day tour of the Battlefields in October this year 2008. ( 6 Adults ).

As a retired Travel Agent operating in the Travel Industry for over 30 years I feel I have some experience in Tours.

Your small Tour size is perfect and was one of the best we have experienced.

It had excellent content, places ,explanations, stories and general timing and your commentary in English was both informative and had so much information.

We certainly would not have found many of the places you took us too if we had done it ourselves and not being on a Tour bus with 40 others meant we could extend our stay or leave early which was a terrific bonus.

Thank you Sylvestre for a wonderful trip and to see my Grandfathers Grave was an emotional experience that your Company made possible.

I would highly recommend this Tour Company to anyone and if they require any further information I am happy to be contacted anytime.


Ian & Denise Bray.
Phillip Island, Victoria,

* Hi there Sylvestre
We are now back in Sydney and would like to thank you again for your fabulous tour of the Somme area - it was one of the top highlights of our 3 weeks in France (and there were many highlights as your country is so beautiful and rich in history and culture).
I hope the temperature is rising for you.
Regards
Libby B. / NSW Australia

* Hi Sylvestre



Well, we’re back home in Adelaide now … to be welcomed by 43oC temperatures … only a 45oC difference in weather since our tour with you just over a week ago … :0)

We can’t tell you how much we enjoyed our 3-day tour … it was so very moving and your breadth of knowledge really made the tour very interesting.

Your passion for the WWI battlefields was evident … and you never once sounded like a ‘recorded message’ – which could so easily be the case when you consider that you do these tours 7 days a week.

You were always enthusiastic about the subject matter and didn’t rush us through any of the visited sites.

Liam has come away determined to study war history at university … so you’d better make sure you have a position for him in about 10 years’ time … (just kidding!!). Seriously, he loved every minute of it … it was the highlight of his holiday in Europe.

Take care … and thanks again for everything.
Kind regards

Tanis, John & Liam / Adelaide SA Australia

* Hi Estelle,

I just want to thank you for arranging our tour over the last two days. It was amazing - well organised and researched, comfortable and fascinating. Cathy was fantastic and so knowledgeable. She really made the tragedy of the battlefields come to life for Jesse and I and we were enthralled from beginning to end. She explained each battle to us in such detail and was able to answer every question - clearly she loves her job and it shows.

I also appreciate her dropping us at Lille to catch our train which we did easily. Please let her know Jesse managed to get through customs with his piece of shell, much to the bemusement of the French customs officers. He will treasure it and we will both treasure the memories of the last few days.

Angie L. 14/02/2011

* Hello Sylvestre,

Just wanted to drop a line to thank you for organizing our recent trip to the Australian Battlefields.
Although we didn’t get to meet you, giving us Barbara for the day was truly wonderful.
Apart from being a lovely lady, Barbara displayed great knowledge and compassion for past battles and the thousands upon thousands of people lost.

A very treasured moment for my husband was finding the name of his great uncle on the wall at Villers Bretonneux.

Could you please extend our warm wishes to Barbara and let her know that the French champagne and cheese (although very smelly) was fantastic! Merci beaucoup.

Warm wishes,

Trina and family, Australia.

*
Bonjour Sylvestre,

We wanted to say thank you very much for the Battlefields tour last Friday.

Your knowledge of the area and different battles gave us a greater understanding of what the soldiers went through. The selection of sites, particularly for us as Australians (and from Melbourne) the Australian Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux and the Victoria School were highlights. But of course the visits to the other memorials and cemeteries were also very moving. The futility of war was obvious with the huge human losses and devastation still apparent.

The personal touches from being on a small tour, such as stopping by the roadside to see bunkers, unexploded shells and picking up pieces of shot and shrapnel, really added to the experience.

It was a day we will never forget. Thank you once again.

Chris and Peter Kelly, Vic. Australia

* Sylvestre Bresson is an excellent and concientious WWI battlefields guide with very good English. Responding to my interest in Royal Flying Corps aerodromes he went to unusual lengths to research the subject and locate the long-forgotten sites. He took me on a very fruitful one day tour to visit all the old airfields on my list. I would highly recommend him.

Ian Mackersey, New Zealand
(aviation author)

* Hello Sylvestre

You may not remember us but you were kind enough to take us on Battlefield Tours on two consecutive days in early September this year.

We have just returned home to Australia and wanted to let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed your tours. They were informative, in many cases emotional and they created memories for us which we are sure we will never forget.

Thank you very much and we hope and trust you will continue to provide such meaningful tours to others who visit your country. You are a great ambassador.

Kindest regards

Nev and Judy Beckmann, Australia

* Hi Sylvestre
 
Thank you for the 2 day tour that we recently did with you. The memories will last forever, if was really a hi-light of our 5 week holiday, we thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.
The whole two days was so informative and emotionally moving, your knowledge of the areas and the battles is fantastic.
We will definitely give your name to anyone that wants to do the battlefields tours.
 Michael has asked that when you have time could you please send some photos of your train layout, he would love to see it.
 Once again thank you for a great 2 days
 
Regards
Michael and Karen
Sydney. Australia
7 November 2010

* Bonjour Sylvestre,
 
Both Kathy and I want to thank you again for the wonderful two days you and your colleague Lea gave us touring the battlefields during October.  We very much enjoyed your company and professionalism.
We both talk about you and our visit and keep suggesting to people that they should visit.
 We want to wish you and your family a very Happy Christmas (or Joyeux Noelle) and may 2011 bring you joy, happiness, good health and success.
 (Would you please send us the name of your daughter we are sorry but we have forgotten)
 We hope that the cold winter weather that you are experiencing now will not be too bad
 With our best wishes

Andrejs & Kathy
21 december 2010

* Hi,


Neil and I joined the Australian Battlefield Tours today with Cathy, and we had the best time! Cathy is a fabulous guide and her extent of knowledge is amazing!
 The day just flew by. I will certainly recommend the tour to anyone who will isten, and it has inspired me to go back and read about the Western Front again.
 Thank you for an utterly awesome day !


Tania & Neil
22 december 2010

* Sylvestre,

Thanks so much for your tour today.
As an Australian soldier I felt humbled to be able to visit the sites of my forefathers, including being in the general vicinity of where my grandfather served.
Names like Pozieres, Villers Bretonneux, Gibralter, The Windmill, Mouquet Farm are etched in my memory of my military histories studies. To be able to see the areas today was awesome.
Keep up the good work and I will be back some day for a tour of Fromelles, Flanders and perhaps the Kiwi areas next time.
Regards

Joe
29 december 2010

* Dear Sylvestre,

Thank you once again for a fascinating day. Your information and
explanations were superb and we all found it very interesting and moving. The
children kept talking about various things they heard during the day so it will
stay in our memories for a long long time.

Bruce & Nadia
30 december 2010

*
Dear Sylvestre,

Sorry it has taken so long for us to send you a letter of thanks. We just wanted to say how wonderful you made our trip to France. Our whole family enjoyed every minute. We feel YOU made this a trip of a lifetime for us and something we as a family will never forget. Thanks for making the kids enjoy the snow fights and also be able to cater for the rest of us - David, myself and his Mum & Dad who were deeply moved by the Battlefield experience. Being able to experience traditional French cuisine was also a bonus. Plus the trip to Belgium to get cheap beer and cigars was a bonus. The weather was something so different to what we had ever seen before and there was just too much to see – but we feel without you as our guide we would never have had such a well rounded experience – scenery, jokes, snow, blizzards, snow fights, SNAILS!!, raclette, xmas markets and of course the main reason for the trip – the Battlefields. We would and already have recommended your company to others and if we can ever do so formally please let us know. Regards and hope this finds you well.
PS we went to the museum in Brisbane to see the Tank you told us about but unfortunately during the floods in Brisbane it became inaccessible to the public. But we thought the least we could do is send you this booklet – as we cant send the real one home to you in France 
Best Wishes and don’t forget if you ever make it to Australia – look us up!

Cath & David H.

25 March 2011

* Hi Cathy

Thanks very much for the information and links. It will help us remember all the valuable information you gave us on the tour. We are so pleased we chose to book that tour - your knowledge, experience, research, communication and friendly approach made it a great experience. Thanks.
We went across to the Bay of Somme (stayed in Le Crotoy) for a couple of days- it was lovely. Made the mistake of driving in to Lille on the last day in France - big mistake - what a nightmare!
Our trip continues to ge well, with fine, sunny weather nearly every day since we were on the Somme. We're driving the Ring of Kerry today.

Thanks again,
Cheers
Ian & Marianne
28 March 2011

* Hi Cathy,

we are now back home in Australia and would like to sincerely THANK YOU for giving us such a wonderful experience on your 2 day tour.
I have forwarded your email address of the company to a friend of mine who has friends that wish to do a similar tour.
I managed to get my souvenier glass home all in tact and my husband was absolutely thrilled.
Cheers ,

Dawn & Brett V. (Mother & Son)
4 April 2011

* M. Bresson,

I write to thank you for your hospitality and care in conducting us around the battlefields of the Somme on Australia Day 2011. Your sincerity and rigour were impressive. We had an unforgettable experience.

Since returning home, we have fascinated friends and relatives with photographs taken and items picked up along the way. We were particularly impressed by your willingness to share local knowledge. For two relatively young Australians, you provided something of the cultural memory of the French, a valuable addition to a profoundly moving tour.

You have my best wishes for the success of your efforts and a prayer for the health and happiness of your family.

Yours sincerely,

JH & HK / Melbourne VIC Australia

* Hi Estelle,

I have just returned to work after my vacation, which included the Somme
Battlefield Tour, on 4th May.

I wish to thank you very much for the arrangements, and would be grateful if you could also pass on our thanks to Lea, who took us on the tour. We found it very interesting, and moving, and in particular we found her to have a very extensive knowledge of the area and all the information. She is obviously very interested in the history and spoke with a lot of feeling and emotion, and is extremely respectful of all parties involved in the war, and the local French culture too.

We will happily recommend your tours, as we were very impressed and enjoyed the experience very much.

Sincere thanks and regards,

Claire A. & Nicholas B.
16 May 2011

* Hello Estelle, Cathy and Lea,

We would like to thank you all for a wonderful day that we had with you on the Anzac Day. The Battlefield tour was great and the knowledge that the girls had was excellent. They made the tour a fun day.

We made a lot of friends that day, 2 couples that have made contact since coming back to Australia.

Estelle, Peter and I would like express how grateful we are for the Tour, when you took us to Bapaume and the TorontoAvenueCemeteries, it has left us with memories that we will never forget.

Your Company Terres De Memoire, having the busiest time of the month really showed how caring and professional you are when you realised that we were having to go back to Australia without achieving what we had set out to do.

Cathy I haven’t forgotten the poem MY ANZAC ON THE WALL which I promised to send to you. Do you have a postal address that I can forward it to as it isn’t scanning very well.

Best Wishes.

Helen and Peter N.
29 May 2011

* Bonjour Sylvestre,
 
I did a day World War One battlefields trip with you on Friday 29 July , which included a visit to my grandmother’s brothers grave at Vaulx-Vracourt.
 
I would like again to sincerely say thank you for taking me on the World War One battlefields tour and for sharing your knowledge and passion. It was a wonderful day, I learnt so much and the memories of it , I will never forget.
 
Visiting my grandmother’s brothers grave at Vaulx-Vracourt was very moving and I sincerely appreciate the trouble that was taken to find out that he was killed at Noreuil and that I was able to visit not only the Australian Cemetery there but also the location nearby, where he was killed.  
 
I enjoyed visiting all the locations that we did, having lunch at Bapaume and hearing about its history covering three wars.
 
The day was a major highlight of my trip to Europe and I have shared the photos and have recommended your company to others , including my travel agent Tracey Pereira.
 
You may remember that you suggested that I visit the Cathedral in Amiens in the evening after dark to see the light show. I saw the light show as you suggested and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you for the suggestion . Notre Dame at Amiens is  a magnificent cathedral and I went back the next morning to visit it in daylight.
 
I subsequently enjoyed my visit to Paris, and I hope that one day I will be able to return to France.
 
Thank you
 
Regards
 
Robert Gray, Australia
July 2011

* Bonjour Sylvestre,
 
Having returned home to Australia, we would like to thank you for the day tour we did with your company on 23 June 2011 of the Somme Battlefields in particular Villers Brettoneux. We were extremely well cared for by Lea our guide.
 
We were delighted with the day we had, and it was an added pleasure to have such a great guide looking after us - you have a tremendous asset in her - she is very knowledgeable and obliging. Please pass on our sincere thanks for her effort that day which was 1 of top 3 highlights of our 30 day overseas holiday.
 
Yours sincerely,
Graeme & Thelma D.
4 July 2011

* Bonjour Estelle,
 
This is to let you know how delighted we were with our two day tour of the battlefields with Lea on 23rd and 24th of June. We found her to be a lady with a genuine interest in the people she was guiding around the sites and has a remarkable knowledge of the Australian battlefields. As we were searching for sites where three relatives fought, we were very pleased that she was able to show us the areas and explain in detail about the particular battles. Her command of English and friendly manner made it a very enjoyable couple of days and we would like to congratulate her on her professional approach to what can be an emotional experience for those searching for information about relatives lost so long ago. In our opinion she is an asset to your company and we will suggest Terresdememoire to any of our friends who are interested in touring the battlefields.
Thank you for organising the tour for us and all our best wishes.
 
Kind regards,
Jann & Chris Tate 
3 July 2011

* Dear all at terres de memoire,

Just a brief note to thank you and your team for a wonderful day last Monday, 27th June.

Lea was a superb host and made the day special with her Knowledge and diplomacy.
Australian's are normally notoriously hard to please.

We will be back in touch to do day two Fromelles/Belgium before we return to Oz.

Again thank you for making the day so special even with 38 degrees and a special thanks to Lea.

Regards

Clive & Lindy Heath
Australia

* Bonjour.
On June 14 2011 we had the pleasure of visiting The Somme for the one day tour of the battle fields. It was a truly memorable day for each of us, and our guide, Lea contributed most significantly on the day. Her knowledge of the history was comprehensve, her sensitivity on the subject was appreciated and her company thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you again sincerely.
Deirdre Kelly
Doug Howarth
Brendan Kenny

1 st August 2011

* I wish to thank your company for the Australian battlefield tour to Villers Bretonneux
Albert, Poziers etc on 12 July /2011.
Your guide Sylvestre met me at Amiens rail station and began a very well informed
Tour of the battlefield sites. Before returning me to the Amiens station to return to Paris.
 
His knowledge of the events and the history of those sites was more than i expected.
Describing in great detail the significance of the various sites and where the various
Units were located on the particular battlefield.
I could almost see and hear the action before my eyes.
For an Australian it was a very moving experience to walk over that almost sacred ground
where so many of our soldiers courageously fought and died.
I would highly recommend your tour to any Australian who is thinking of these sites.

Laurie, Australia

* Bonjour Estelle,
 
Anne and I have arrived home safely after a wonderful holiday, one of the highlights being the Battlefield Tour organised by your Company.
 
We were most impressed with the efficient organisation over the three days and very fortunate that on Days 2 and 3 we were the only passengers so enjoyed a "one on one" relationship with Sylvestre and Oliver (hope the spelling is correct!) and were most impressed with their detailed knowledge of the campaigns.  On day1 we enjoyed Lea's guiding and wish to congratulate her for her professional presentations.
 
Our most emotional experience was the visit to Don's Uncle David's Grave at the Brandhoek No.3 New Cemetery - we are the first of the Rae family to visit the Grave.
 
Please convey our thanks to Sylvestre, Oliver and Lea for an unforgettable experience.
 
Most sincerely,
 
Anne and Don Rae

29 September 2011

* Hi,
I would like to commend your Company on the excellent Battlefield Tour I undertook 19/9/2011

I was able to visit both cemeteries in which my Great Uncles were buried, as well as visiting many battlefields and areas where Australians were involved.
Sylvester, the driver and guide was excellent, very knowledgeable, and informative. 
I will certainly recommend this tour to fellow Australians.
Regards

Lorraine Kelleher
September 2011

* Bonjour Estelle,

On behalf of my wife and myself, I want to tell you that our experience on 21 September was unforgettable. Even now when we talk amongst ourselves and with our friends and work colleagues, we are unable to put words to our experience. Sylvestre was marvelous. He made the tour, especially with his knowledge and passion for even the smallest of details. It was truly one of the highlights of our five weeks in Europe.

Sadly we are now both back home and at work! We left Amiens and had six days in Paris arriving back here in Adelaide on the morning of September 30. The plane from Paris to Singapore carried a large contingent of French Rugby enthusiasts who were on their way to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup.

The weather in Paris was mid to high 20's while we there and we have noticed that it is wet and around 13 degrees. It obviously held on until we left!

We are recommending you to our friends who may try and visit the Somme next year.

Once again,

Thank you for the experience. One day we will able to put words of emotion to it.

Regards


Gary.

October 2011

* Dear Sylvestre,

Just to say thank you so much for an amazing two days with you on the battlefields. It was such a well planned and varied tour, and we all found it so interesting, thought provoking and moving. We felt that we learned an enormous amount in the 2 days. We particularly appreciated the way in which you had taken the trouble to find out details about our relatives who had died in WW1, and it has been lovely to be able to share this information and the photographs of the places that we visited with our families back at home.

Many thanks again.
With all our best wishes,

The Hanton Family
London

* Bonjour Sylvestre,

just dropping a line to thank you on behalf of Julie and myself for our tour yesterday. Your knowledge was amazing which made the day most memorable. We will be recommending you and your company to our family and friends who may want to visit the battlefields. Once again many thanks for a terrific day.

Gary - 15 November 2011