On a sunny Thursday 8th May, VE Day, the History department took a group of 41 Year 9 students to visit the memorials and battlefields of the earlier, Great War. The trip was organised to help students consolidate their learning about trench warfare and reflect on the scale of loss that was suffered by all sides in the conflict. At Sanctuary Woods, the students were able to explore a surviving section of a trench system and come face-to-face with some of the weapons and equipment that was used in the conflict. Mr Trimby gave them a short lesson on what had happened on this site whilst Mr Neve dressed as a soldier from the war to show what equipment the combatants had. A 2 minute silence was observed by all students as a mark of respect. The students then visited the impressive cemetery at Tyne Cott. They were surprised to see how many fallen soldiers were commemorated, many students looked for family names on the memorials. This impressive and well kept memorial was a stark contrast to that at Langemark Germany Cemetry which was altogether starker and plainer. Essex Farm was then visited, the place where the moving poem, “in Flanders Field” was composed.
After this, the trip took in the Menin Gate and the town of Ypres. A visit to Leonidas’ famous chocolate shop was next after which the students were allowed to walk around the town and sample the local cuisine and culture. Throughout the trip, the students upheld and demonstrated the Battle Abbey School values of Belonging, Aspiration and Service. Thank you too all of the students and all the parents for safely delivering the students to the school at 4:30 in the morning! Thanks also to Miss Horne, Miss Coventry and Miss Short for supporting the History department and making this trip such a memorable one.
