BATTLEFIELDS TRIP
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
On Monday 29th June 45 Year 10 students, led by Mr Davies headed off for a tour of the battlefields, memorials, museums and war graves of the First World War. The visit was moving and informative with our students immersing themselves in everything they saw, heard and experienced about the Great War. They were fantastic ambassadors of the school in everything they did. The visit ended with our attendance at the 98th anniversary of the Last Post ceremony in Ypres. This event happens every night, under the arches of the Menin Gate memorial, at precisely 8pm. The traffic stops, the Last Post is sounded, silence is held, and wreaths are laid to remember those who have lost their lives in war. We were fortunate to be able to lay a wreath ourselves. A fitting, special and reflective end to a great Battlefields Tour.
Here are a few thoughts on highlights of the trip from some of our students:
“For me, Passchendaele really put into perspective the hardships that soldiers experienced during the First World War. When we visited the Passchendaele Museum in Belgium, we walked through the recreations of war trenches and dugouts which demonstrated the conditions the soldiers had to face. Walking through the trenches provided an insight into the realities of daily life in the war and the hardships endured. I’m glad I got to visit the museum as it really allowed me to see the greater impact, rather than reading about them in a textbook. This experience helped me to appreciate the sacrifices all soldiers made during the war and made history feel more real and meaningful.”
Mollie Fisher
“I feel that going to Vimy ridge really put me in the shoes of the soldiers that fought in World War One, especially when we went into the underground tunnels the soldiers dug themselves. I could really see how daunting the full experience of being a soldier on the Western Front must have been. Walking in the same trenches that the soldiers served in, day after long day, was an amazing experience. Visiting Vimy Ridge, the national memorial site for Canada was a really, eye-opening experience and it allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of what the war was really like and how real people were affected by it.”
Maja Sadurska
“It was very interesting visiting Newfoundland Park Memorial, as before visiting I didn’t know about the role that Newfoundlanders and Canadians played in WW1. It was also fascinating to learn about the role of South African soldiers at Deville Wood, which was a very emotional memorial. Finally, visiting the Tyneside Irish memorial was also very interesting, and felt a lot more personal as it commemorated our local community and the contribution of men and boys from Tyneside in the Great War.”
Katie Tunstall
