Importance of remembrance at forefront of Battlefields trip
To complement the work done in history lessons, Third Year pupils travelled to France and Belgium on the annual Battlefields trip where they were given a timely reminder of the importance of remembrance.
Day one saw pupils visit sites and museums in the Somme area.
The sheer size of the Lochnagar Crater, which was created when British mines exploded and marked the start of the Battle of the Somme, astounded pupils and was a very visual reminder of the impact of war.
The group then got an insight into what the life of a World War One soldier was like on a visit to the Somme 1916 Museum. They also examined a number of artefacts from the period.
At the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, a number of Third Year pupils laid a wreath in memory of Old Stopfordians lost in battle.
The first day concluded with a visit to Newfoundland Memorial Park. Pupils had the opportunity to explore a trench system first-hand and they heard from the guide about the horrors of this type of warfare.
Day two saw the historians visit Ypres in Belgium. The town was flattened by the fighting in the First World War but it has been rebuilt to its previous magnificent medieval architecture.
They headed to the Cloth Hall on the market square – a building that was largely destroyed by artillery during the war. On the second floor, pupils explored the In Flanders Fields Museum which is dedicated to the study of the First World War.
The pupils then visited the Tyne Cott Commonwealth cemetery and the German war cemetery of Langemark before attending the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate.
Pupils Sophia Morelli and Dylan Daw laid a wreath and met TV historian Dan Snow during the ceremony.
Looking back at the trip, pupil Alexis Atenyam said: “The part I found most interesting and moving was the Somme 1916 Museum. It was set complexly underground and the exhibits were displayed in such a way that it brough history to life.”
George Culwick commented: “I will always remember the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate and the thousands of names etched into the pillars of the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing – including the name of my great, great uncle.”
Sophia Morelli added: “It was a huge honour to represent the school at the Menin Gate ceremony and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will never forget. It was super cool to meet Dan Snow – who was there to lay a wreath in memory of his grandad – as we watch a lot of his videos in our history lessons.”
Luca Scorer noted: “I believe that throughout all of the sites that we saw – from the graves to the trenches – nothing was greater, or more powerful, than the scale.”
Reflecting on the thought-provoking tour, Head of History Mr Tom Leng said: “Visiting sites of historical importance such as the Somme and Ypres is vitally important for our students. It helps them to put what they have learnt within the four walls of the classroom into context.
“The vast scale of the First World War and the huge death toll can’t be appreciated until the battlefields and cemeteries of Belgium and France are visited. For example, the look on the faces of the pupils when they see the Lochnagar Crater for the first time is always one of awe and astonishment due to its size. It is a trip that our students always remember.”
