Battlefields Trip 2019
Over the course of October Half Term, 35 pupils and 4 staff went and visited the WWI Battlefields of Belgium and France. The trip had a particularly early start, leaving school at 5.30am to make sure that we reached our Eurotunnel! After a quick pit stop for breakfast (mostly McDonalds!) we boarded the Eurotunnel and arrived in France at 1pm. We reached our accommodation (Messines Peace Village) near the town of Ypres which was particularly important during WWI. After checking out the rooms and dumping our luggage we went to the Passchendaele Museum nearby in Zonnebeke, Belgium which covered a History of WWI as well as some replica tunnels underground to help pupils to understand the size of the soldiers’ quarters. After spending several hours there we headed back to the hostel for our first experience of Belgian cuisine! Salty (green!) soup, followed by unidentifiable meat and mushroom(?) sauce.
Day 2 saw us pick up our wonderful Belgian tour guide, Pol Lefevre, before heading to the trenches at Sanctuary wood. Pupils donned their wellies and spent time walking through the trenches and most braved the long dark tunnel (even if they did need help from their phones). After a change of footwear we were back on the coach to our friendly driver Justin, and Pol informed us that he’d done some research on the school. There was a memorial to the Gloucester’s not far off our route and asked if we’d like to stop - which we did. We laid a cross in memory of those fallen on behalf of the school and took a group photo at the monument.
In the afternoon we headed to Tyne Cot Commonwealth Cemetery and also Langemark, a German Cemetery; deliberately placed next to each other for the juxtaposition. Both were a unique experience. The regal, beautiful white stone design at Tyne Cot with an English garden theme contrasted heavily with the solemn, small, German cemetery lined with Oak trees and a large mass grave. At Tyne Cot, Olivia Reece (4th Form) was pictured at the memorial for one of her relatives who fell during the war. After lunch we headed to Lijssenthoek military cemetery where we found out about Nellie Spindler, a British nurse and one of the only women to be buried in the Battlefields of Belgium. Our last stop took us to Talbot House, an ‘all men’s club’ where any soldier, regardless of rank, could go and socialise when they were at rest. Pupils were able to experience the Chapel there as it would have been throughout the war, as well as notices soldiers wrote on the wall trying to get in contact with friends, relatives etc. during the war which people could annotate with any extra information. We then headed back for an early dinner (orange soup this time!) as we were heading to the Menin Gate for the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. Pupils Emma Wray, Josh Taylor and Alex Wainwright laid a wreath at the Menin Gate during the service, with Alex wearing his Cadets uniform. We were also able to lay 2 crosses; one for Josh’s relative and another for Herbert foster (son of the Headmaster) both of whom were commemorated there.
Day 3 found us making our way into France to visit memorials on the Somme following the extensive British influence there. On the way, we stopped at French Cemetery Notre Dame de Lorette, which had probably the most staggeringly beautiful architecture that we saw on our trip. Some of the pupils conversed with the French veterans there who were delighted to see British people visiting the cemetery. Our next stop was to Vimy Ridge, where the pupils were taken through some preserved tunnels which had been dug by the Canadians who suffered extensive losses in the region. On the Somme, we picked up a French guide (Valentine) who took us to Lochnagar crater (so named by the Scot due to it’s size) which had been created by British (mostly Welsh) minders placing a series of explosives under the German trenches. We had lunch at Thiepval Memorial and were able to locate a former pupil, Arthur Williams, and Tallulah and Seb (as Heads of School) laid a cross for him. We drove via the Ulster tower before making our last French stop at Beaumont Hamel - a site of commemoration for the Newfoundland forces (fighting with the British Army) before it became part of Canada. After a long day, we were happy to see Justin and drive back up to our hostel in Belgium before enjoying our last meal - spaghetti bolognaise and yellow soup (staff favourite).
Our last morning saw the group split, with some pupils opting for more History and going on a short 2km walk around Messines Village to a British cemetery where some of the original All Black rugby players were commemorated. We walked past a church which was not destroyed in the war- virtually unheard of in the area before heading back to the hostel and heading to Ypres for free time. Pupils availed themselves (and significantly lightened their purses!) through purchases at various Belgian chocolate shops before heading back to Justin (who received a present and several rousing sporting chants from the Sixth Form).
A great trip had by all with many staff commenting that the pupils were among the best that they had ever worked with - a common theme of the trip.
