In June Year 10 history students travelled to Ypres in Belgium, home to some of the terrible battles in World War One. This provided a basis for our coursework and an insight into the lives of the soldiers who fought and died during the Great War.

We first visited the Hooge Crater museum where we saw models in authentic clothing depicting the lives of soldiers in and out of the trenches. Opposite the Hooge Crater museum was one of many cemeteries we visited during our stay. The facts and figures of the numbers of dead did not compare to the vast amount of graves we saw, which was a very emotional experience especially as some of us found relatives there.

On the second day we visited the Flanders Field museum which was made more interesting by having a swipe card. This had the name of one person who lived during the war and you could trace their lives using the swipe card machines. Halfway through the museum we entered a room that recreated the experience of men who went through No Man’s Land. The horror of this was emphasised by light effects, real film footage and a mock-up of the ground below our feet littered with bits of shells and ammunition.

Our next visit was to the Sanctuary Wood trenches, virtually untouched since the war. It was a moving experience to see the shocking conditions the men had lived in as the trenches were very muddy and cold. Some of us travelled along the long dark tunnels that led to different sections of the trenches, which was a chilling experience. On the ground we saw large craters that had been created by exploding shells.

From Sanctuary Wood we visited several more cemeteries. The most interesting was the German cemetery as it had a much more sombre atmosphere than the Commonwealth trenches. The last cemetery we visited was called Essex Farm, which was where the doctor John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields while he was treating many of the wounded soldiers. In one of the numerous graves there rests a 15 year old boy who lied about his age so that he could join up and fight for England; he was the youngest British soldier to die in the war.

The second day concluded with the Menin Gate ceremony, which remembers the many soldiers who bravely fought in the war every day.

The third and final day in Belgium took us to Vimy Ridge. This park was given to Canada by France to commemorate the Canadian victory there. These trenches were much more preserved than the ones we saw in Sanctuary Wood, thanks to the Canadians’ pride in their victory. The trip also included a tour of the large system of tunnels that the Canadians created over two years. The tunnels allowed them to position themselves close to the Germans and launch a surprise attack that enabled them to win the battle.

This trip was a memorable experience which I'm sure I won't forget. The combination of visits to cemeteries, museums and trenches gave a clear picture of the reality of the war.

Angela Stoddard, L5KT

Click here for more photos: http://www.kingsleygallery.co.uk/index_files/historyfrance.htm