On Friday 7th October, 57 students across years 9, 10 and 11 visited Belgium as part of our WWI studies. We left school at 5:15 in the morning (British time) and arrived at our first destination later that morning (Lijssenthoek cemetery), which was a hospital ward in WWI, mostly for the Allied powers. This was an interesting experience, as it allowed us to see the impact of all that we’ve learned about over the last year, and what that really meant for people at the time. We were led throughout the day by two amazing tour guides who, in their detailed and informative explanations, showed us that what we had learnt was not just words on a page or marks in an exam, but actually historical events that meant a great deal, showing the great teaching we receive from the History Department at school. We then went to a German cemetery (Langemarck), which was really interesting to see and to compare to the Allies’ cemetery. Our next stop (after lunch) was the Passchendaele museum and trench reconstruction. The museum contained lots of original memorabilia, such as diaries, weapons and some uniform, as well as replicas of day to day items used in the war, such as gas masks and metal armour. There was a trench reconstruction as well, including enclosed trenches, where there would be a small medical ward and beds, as well as a trench system outside, replicating what it would have been like to fight and live there. Our final stop before going into Ypres town centre was Tyne Cot Cemetery, which was the most impressive looking cemetery of the day. From this cemetery, not only did we see graves of people from all over the world, we also saw lots of land which famously was fought on during the war. We then made our way into Ypres town centre for a short while, before making our way back towards the Eurotunnel on our way home, to arrive back to school just before 11 pm.
We had an amazing time in Belgium, despite a slightly delayed return. And on behalf of all that went, we would like to say a massive thank you to Ms Newton and the history department for taking us, as well as to Mr Wilson for helping to plan and fund the trip.
Written by Joel Whittlesea and Rasha Laribi in Year 10, with thanks to Ms Newton for organizing the trip.
