Battlefields Visit

Each year our pupils embark on a moving experience, engaging with history and poetry, when they visit WWI battlefields and cemeteries in Belgium.

Manon and Martha report back on their highlights of this year’s trip:

“At the end of June, 30 very sleepy Year 9 pupils girls left for Ypres, Belgium. Over the next couple of days we visited many sites, such as the Menin Gate, The Somme battlefield and Tyne Cot Cemetery – the biggest British war cemetery in the world, with 11,956 burials. Our amazing guide made sure that we were very well-informed and engaged with what we were seeing, making the trip unique. We were especially lucky to witness a last post ceremony on the first night, a sight many of us will never forget. Seeing the battlefields and cemeteries – British, French and German – as well as learning about war poetry, really showed us the true impacts of World War One and how many people gave up their lives for the cause. It also served as a stark reminder of the harrowing nature of war and how it should be avoided at all costs, as life is precious. We all really enjoyed the trip and took a lot away with us, whether it was chocolate, information or both.”