Year 9 trip to the battlefields
Year 9 pupils spent two days visiting the First World War battlefields of Northern France and Belgium. They were blessed with exceptional weather and the visit made a lasting impression on them:
‘Understanding the scale of such events by real experience is a very good path to learning history. We visited the Ulster tower where the loss of a massive amount of soldiers is commemorated and Thiepval wood in which the Allied Forces’ trenches were excavated. The Thiepval memorial was dedicated to the 72000 missing soldiers in the Somme region of France only!’
‘I think the trip made us all realise what the war was really like. When we were learning about it at school we knew what went on but the feeling that the trip gave us was something we couldn’t have felt at school. The last cemetery made me really realise and gave me an idea of how many people died. We also met a man who was visiting the Cemetery and he told us his family’s story which really touched me. I really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful monuments.’
‘This trip was very effective in making us truly understand the terrible loss caused by the Great War. When we went to Tyne Cot cemetery it made us finally understand just how many lives were lost in this pointless war. As well as this we attended the Menin Gate ceremony which was also very moving and gave us a good opportunity to think about the lives that were affected in the war. Overall the trip was very moving and helped us understand the tragedy of WW1.’
‘When we entered the Tyne Cot Cemetery and I saw the thousands of graves it struck me how serious the Great War really was, and I was glad that I had seen it because it gave me a bigger image of the war and the people that it affected. Overall I very much enjoyed the trip and all of the stories that I heard and can now share with others.’
‘This trip made me more aware of how lucky we are to be born after the world wars but also how many people sacrificed their lives for our today.’
