WW1 Battlefields Trip

At the end of last term, our Year 7 & 8 pupils embarked on a powerful and memorable residential trip to WW1 battlefields of Ypres and The Somme.

Day one saw them exploring The Ypres Salient; including a British cemetery, the Passchendaele Memorial Museum, a preserved German trench and Langemark Cemetery, where more than 44,000 German soldiers are buried. That evening, they visited the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, where our Heads of School proudly laid a wreath before an audience of around 400 people.

The next day included a moving visit to The Somme, where pupils stood on the very ground where a great-great-uncle of one of their classmates fought. A wreath was laid at Thiepval by our Deputy Heads of School in his honour. The day concluded with a visit to the dramatic Lochnagar Crater, formed by a mine laid by the Royal Engineers – so powerful that tremors were felt back in Kent. On the final day, they visited Bruges, enjoying an interactive journey through medieval history at The Historium, followed by a well-earned visit to the city’s famous chocolate shops.

A huge thank you to our incredibly knowledgeable guide and to all our pupils, who engaged so thoughtfully throughout a trip that will leave a lasting impression on everyone who took part.