A Thought-Provoking Trip
On Friday 2nd October, 50 Year 9 students and five staff departed bright and early for a visit to the First World Battlefields of Belgium & France. After a good journey to Dover, it was promptly onto the ferry for an earlier than scheduled crossing, which set the tone for a trip that went extremely well. A smooth crossing (with meal voucher, which meant many cooked breakfasts!) saw us soon on our way to the first of a number of sites we would visit on our first day.
We headed for sites around Ypres, often associated with the horrific, muddy conditions we associate with the trenches of World War One. A visit to Essex Farm Cemetery, with associations with John McCrae (he wrote ‘In Flanders Fields’ here), and the grave of a 15-year-old volunteer helped bring home the impact of war. We then went on to Tyne Cot, the largest British military cemetery in the world, where 11000 burials highlighted the scale of loss. Aven Delahunty (9Ridgeway) laid a wreath on behalf of the School at Tyne Cot, and each student had a small wooden cross (with thanks to Mr Bonney for these) that they could use for their own individual act of commemoration. We then moved onto the German cemetery at Langemark, where a mass grave of over 20000 soldiers proved hard for many to comprehend, and showed the scale of loss on both sides. After this, we checked into our hotel in Ypres, where students enjoyed an evening meal and an excellent games room! We finished the evening by attending the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate, where Harriet Nichols and Pip Martindale (both 9Story) laid another wreath on behalf of the students, and School.
Saturday’s weather was glorious, and we headed for the Somme battlefields of northern France, preceded by a visit to Hill 62 Museum, which allowed students the chance to see many artefacts from the war, and to experience some trenches that have been preserved, including claustrophobic tunnels! A long coach journey then took us to France, where we visited sites associated with the terrible events of 1916. We visited Lochnagar Crater, created when the British detonated over 20 tons of explosives under the German front line. Then it was on to Thiepval to see over 70000 names of the missing, with no known grave. Again, an almost incomprehensible scale of loss. We finished at the Canadian memorial site of Beaumont Hamel, where we explored the preserved battlefield and discovered the story of the Newfoundland soldiers, who suffered such huge losses on July 1st 1916. We then diverted to Euston Road Cemetery on our return journey so that Ralph L’Amie (9Ridgeway) could pay his respects to a fallen relative. Our return to Ypres saw free time, with chocolate, waffles, frites and ice cream proving irresistible to many! We finished the day with another visit to the Menin Gate.
Sunday was a prompt and purposeful checking-out, and then onto a French hypermarket, where the skill of shopping in a foreign language and against the clock was a challenge many relished. We then had a superb journey back to Calais, and another early crossing (with meal voucher again!) over an incredibly calm Channel, before arriving back at School in late afternoon.
The students were superb ambassadors for the School, showing thoughtfulness and solemnity as appropriate. My thanks must go to them. My thanks also go to the staff who accompanied the trip (Mr Jackson, Ms Hurry, Mrs Grove and Mrs Syms-Evans), and helped ensure that it ran so smoothly. Plans are already underway for the next visit, in 2027!
Justin Barnett, Head of Humanities
