History - Somme Trip

During the half term holiday Mr Moss, Miss Marshall, Miss Halcrow, Mrs Owen and Mr Troiano accompanied 43 students from year 9 & 10 to the Belgian town of Ypres.  The aim of the visit was to improve students’ understanding of World War One and to give them first hand experience of what life in the trenches would have been like.

We visited a number of sites. On the first night, Jordan Finney, Jenny Teasdale and Daniel McCarthy were selected to lay a wreath in memory of all those who fought in the war at the last post ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres – a memorial to 54,000 soldiers who have no known grave.

Students had the opportunity to experience ‘No Man’s Land’ when they occupied preserved trenches. Students were encouraged to empathise with soldiers who fought in the Great War.

We also visited a number of cemeteries which enabled students to comprehend the scale of the sacrifice made by men from both Britain and Germany. The visit was extremely informative and was enjoyed by all, especially the last stop, a Belgian chocolate shop. Here is a selection of comments from some of the students involved.

“We visited British and German cemeteries and the Menin Gate. The visit helped to improve my knowledge and understanding because it gave me a better perspective on what it must have been like for soldiers and how many gave up their lives.”

“I particularly enjoyed laying the wreath at the Menin Gate. I also found it interesting to compare the British and German cemeteries.”

“I have a better understanding of how many lives were lost and what the soldiers went through.”

Mr Moss