I also wanted to say that I really enjoyed Ypres. I took a small group tour, five people, which was guided by a retired British soldier who drove us to various parts of the battlefield and was very knowledgeable. I found him on the internet.

rmfish, I am really touched that anything I wrote might have inspired you to visit the Great War battlefields. It's too bad you had such a challenge with the car rental rigamarole in Lille. In some ways that set up is pretty straightforward, but not for those of us who are unfamiliar with how things are organized and sign-posted in France. We missed our exit on the way back last time and had to make a bit of a detour to get back to Lille Europe station.

Jim, I think your intuition about how much time to devote to Beaumont-Hamel is right, especially given its significance for you. I'd allow a full morning, especially since you might want to linger at Y Ravine Cemetery. Yes, Guedecourt would be an easy add-on, but you'd then have a 35 to 40 minute drive to Masnieres, plus time at the monument, then another 35 to 40 to get to Monchy-le-Preux, and then back to Arras. It's doable, but would be a long day. I suppose you could leave it open, and only decide once you're done at Guedecourt. Time, weather, energy could all help you decide at the time.

bilboburgler, a good find on the meaning of CB. That was a pretty easy sentence compared to the hated Field Punishment, which involved being tied to a wheel or a post.

Another WWI blog which might be of interest: https://berkshirevoiceswwi.wordpress.com/