Over February half term, students from years 9-11 enjoyed a 4 day visit to the First World War battlefields in Belgium. Students were introduced to the history of the First World War by visiting the interactive Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres. They followed the route taken by soldiers in the Somme as they went over the top and walked through ‘No Man’s Land’.
They visited the cemeteries of Essex Farm, Tyne Cot, the German cemetery at Langemark, the site of one of the largest bomb craters from WW1 and visited British and German Trenches and the Hill 62 Memorial Museum. They were able to locate names of relatives on the wall of the Menin Gate and also at the Thiepval Memorial.
ICT teacher, Mr Barron, who was a Sergeant in the Royal Marines before becoming a teacher, joined students in laying a wreath in the Menin Gate ceremony.
Year 11 student, Leah Davies, said: “The whole trip was really thought provoking and I was especially moved when we visited Tyne Cot and saw the size of the graveyard. Mr Barron spent time explaining how we could make up a platoon in the Army and how many people we see in our fire drills in school. There were 12 times the amount of this buried in Tyne Cot – it made you think and appreciate the amount of people who lost their lives”.
Miss Darley said: “It really helped the students consider the true nature of the war poetry they have to study at GCSE by visiting locations such as the Somme and Hellfire corner. It was a fantastic trip due to the respectful nature and impeccable behaviour of the students”.
A big thank you to Mr Barron, Miss Jardine, Mr Warman and Miss Darley for leading the trip.
