Bishop Luffa remembers the Battle of the Somme

The 1st July was the 110th anniversary of the 1st day of the Battle of the Somme.  By the end of that day,  approximately 20 000 British soldiers were dead, and 40 000 wounded.  In many ways, along with Passchendele, it became one of the defining memories of the Great War, casting a long shadow over many communities.  As a School we have marked this anniversary in a number of ways.  Connect resources in tutor time encouraged students to reflect on the events being remembered.  Families were also invited to share their family links with the conflict (and thank you to the many who did), which has been compiled into a book of remembrance that we will use each year, ensuring that the duty and sacrifice isn’t forgotten.  We were also able to bring together the students from many of those families, holding the details that were shared, a tangible link across the years (see photo).  There was also a display to mark the anniversary (with thanks to Miss Sutton for organising).  Finally, we started the day on July 1st with whistles rather than bells, to echo the whistles used on the 1st July 1916, with 2 of the whistles being from the First World War (kindly loaned by Mrs Budgen).

As a tragic event in its own right, and a key element in the national consciousness, we played our own small part in ensuring that this anniversary is not forgotten.

Justin Barnett, Head of Humanities