Year 9 students have recently returned from visiting the World War One Battlefields.  Across three days, nearly 200 students benefited from the knowledge and experience of the tour guides to help them understand the events of 1914-1918.  This trip has become something of a staple; this year’s students were able to link back to what they learnt in History last year and make connections to their study of World War One poetry in year 9 English lessons.

Over the three days, students visited the three crucial cemeteries – the largest British Military Cemetery in the world – Tyne Cot, the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, and the German Cemetery – Langemark.  Students also spent the afternoon of the first day in Ypres, saw recreations of the trenches, along with other exhibits, in the Passchendaele Museum, visited Lochnagar Crater, the site of the 1914 Christmas Truce, and Newfoundland Memorial Park.  Students appreciated the importance of the trip, especially the added significance of paying our respects to some of the young men killed in the war who were St Bart’s students – George Ashwin Curnock is commemorated on the Menin Gate; Bertram Saxelbye Evers is named on the Thiepval Memorial; Robert Athur Patterson is buried at Point-du-Jour Military Cemetery; and Percy Harold Quarterman is buried at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Ypres.  Their citations can be found here, along with that of Alexander Herbert Davies, who is buried in Newtown Road Cemetery.

In addition to the visits outlined above, individual coaches took in some additional locations so students could visit family members who lost their lives in that war.

Students are very fortunate to have opportunities like this; to connect what they learn about in school to the real places those events took place.  The comments they have made reflect this…

 “I enjoyed looking at all the cemeteries, especially the German one with the huge grave holding over 24,000 soldiers. I really enjoyed the Passchendaele museum and being able to walk through trenches and look around the Somme. I learnt that the symbol of Ypres is a cat, because they used to throw cats off the tower of the cloth hall to reduce the population. “

Matilda Healy (9D2)

“On the battlefield trip to France and Belgium I most enjoyed the museum that was interactive and had accurate trenches and bunkers. I also learnt about how shells and bombs that didn’t actually go off were disposed of and much about World War One. Initially, I also learnt about the Christmas truce, when British and German soldiers met at Christmas and exchanged gifts.”

Elodie Wright (9D3)

 “I really, really enjoyed the wise words of the tour guide who was very intelligent and helpful with all the questions and queries. “

Freddie Thorne (9C1)

“I most enjoyed visiting all the small cemeteries. It gave an interesting view into just how many lost their lives in the Great War. My favourite memorial was the Canadian memorial on the Somme. It was granted in perpetuity to Canada, which means we also technically visited an exclave (area of land owned by another country inside another country) of Canada. The central piece in the memorial was beautifully decorated, and you could see all the trenches on the battlefield. There were still barbed wire posts and metal trench supports all over the area. It was harrowing to learn about how, when they excavated an area in an archaeological dig, no Newfoundland soldiers managed to get past a tree, when the Germans were several hundred meters away, being mown down by machine gun fire. The massive mine crater we visited was almost a quarter of a mile across! When we visited the museum, I really liked walking through the trench recreations, and was amazed by the sheer range of artillery shells used (almost two walls were stacked with shells).”

Dylan Griffiths (9C2)

“I really enjoyed this trip and thought that it was a good experience. My favourite part of the trip was the museum as we were able to walk in actual trenches and could view how soldiers would have lived between 1914 and 1918.”

Saanvi Nirania (9C1)

“I most enjoyed learning about the trenches and what life was like in WW1. My favourite part of the trip was the Paschendale museum.”

Ed Gooday (9D2)