From Saturday 24th– Monday 26th June, 46 eager Year 9 students and 5 staff embarked upon the annual Year 9 Battlefields Trip and visited key World War One sites in Belgium and France.
The students took in sites such as Vimy Ridge, the site of a key Canadian victory famed for its use of modern battlefield tactics; Tyne Cot Cemetery – the largest Commonwealth Cemetery in the world and Essex Farm Cemetery – the site upon which John McCrae penned his now famous poem ‘In Flanders Field’. The trip also took in the Passchendaele Museum which documents the battles fought around the Ypres Salient throughout the First World War.
However, the highlight of the trip for all was undoubtedly the Last Post Ceremony at The Menin Gate, a ceremony that has been dutifully conducted without interruption since 1928. This was incredibly moving and and offered an opportunity for reflection on all we had experienced.
On the final day of our trip before returning to Evesham we visited the wonderful city of Bruges. The students enjoyed some time here to explore the key sites and to pick up souvenirs and sample Belgian chocolates.
The students were a real credit to the school and coped well with the harrowing themes in very hot weather.
Mrs O’Connell
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