During the first weekend of half term, a group of D (Year 9) pupils, along with staff from the history department, set out for Belgium and northern France to explore the First World War battlefields in Ypres and the Somme.
Highlights included a visit to Sunken Lane where we heard a moving recording of a Lancashire solider describing the moment British troops went ‘over the top’ on 1 July 1916. Stepping straight into the past we had the opportunity to try on Great War uniforms, handle a Lee Enfield rifle and descend into the preserved trench system at Beaumont-Hamel’s Newfoundland Memorial Park, an experience that instantly brought history to life.
Other highlights included standing amid the white towers of the Canadian National Memorial at Vimy Ridge, high on the crest of Givenchy-en-Gohelle, where we reflected on Canadian sacrifice and the fierce fighting that secured the ridge in 1917.
At a German war cemetery we carefully laid a wreath to remember those who bravely fought from our Bryanston community, acknowledging that loss and grief were shared on both sides of the wire.
After a moving and immersive trip, everyone gained a powerful sense of the conditions faced by soldiers on the Western Front. We all came away with a vivid, personal appreciation of the courage and sacrifice of all who fought in the Great War, insight they we will carry into our history studies next term.
by D pupil, Bess B-M
