Battlefields in France and Belgium Trip
The main history experience for Enrichment Week was a KS4-5 trip to the First World War Battlefields in France and Belgium. This was not just a trip that covered part of both GCSE and A-Level History courses, but also a trip to commemorate the hundreds of thousands of men who gave their lives in the conflict. On the first two days we explored the area around Ypres, Belgium, that was a key focus of the war, visiting trenches, bunkers, and comparing both German and Commonwealth cemeteries. There were hands-on activities learning about different gas masks and uniforms, and also the care and evacuation of soldiers from the battlefield. This included a visit to Essex Farm Cemetery where the Canadian Surgeon and Poet John McCrae ran a small hospital and wrote ‘In Flanders’ Fields’ – the poem that made poppies central to our remembrance of war dead. On the final evening in Ypres we laid a wreath in the Menin Gate Ceremony, and we had the honour of allowing Mabel K and Emma-JC to lay the wreath on behalf of the school and their own relatives who died in the war.
For the next two days we went further south to the Somme region. We began by focusing on the first day of the Somme, visiting the sunken lane, Newfoundland Park and Thiepval, all key battlefields, and looked at what went wrong that day. We also used Thiepval as a case study to show the development of the British Army that led to eventual victory in 1918. On the final day of the trip we had the opportunity to take Mabel K to the approximate location that her great uncle, Horace Brimelow, was killed in Delville Wood. From there we visited the trenches of Vimy Ridge, and toured the underground tunnels at Wellington Quarry – the latter used as a hospital and supply route up to the trenches using an old medieval quarry that was extended by tunnellers from New Zealand.
This was an incredibly moving experience for all of those involved, with a fantastic tour company who make the trip interesting, accessible and when appropriate, fun. The students were exemplary and fulfilled the KWS values to the full; parents and the school should be very proud of their conduct, we cannot wait for next year!
