History Trip to the First World War Battlefields in Belgium
After the journey through the Eurostar and across the final border in Belgium, we reached the battlefield, between the British and Germans. Our guides explained how and where the armies were positioned and the advantages of the German situation. The horrible conditions of the damp, unhygienic and claustrophobic trenches were described. We then went through the German trenches; the space was genuinely narrow and would have been surrounded with rats at the time. Going through the trenches gave us a clear insight of being in the trenches as a soldier and helped us understand our lessons about the First World War more clearly. After a satisfying lunch, we had our first view of a British cemetery.
Walking into the cemetery was peaceful. Something we all noticed was that, no matter the soldier’s rank, each gravestone was equal, demonstrating the enormous gratitude for all the soldiers who gave up their lives for our future. The gravestones included men of all regiments, religions, ethnic backgrounds and awards. The British even gave the German prisoners a place to rest; the respect was all the same. Visiting the cemetery gave all of us a clear picture of so many lives given up for us, and that was only one cemetery.
After dinner, we set off to the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War One whose graves are unknown. More than 54,000 men and officers’ names are upon those walls. Its significance is that the soldiers went out to war and returned through these gates. There is a daily ceremony that takes place at 8pm sharp, where a one minute silence is observed and the Last Post is played. It was a little cramped because of the hundreds of people present but it was absolutely breath-taking. All those people under a giant arch, in complete silence, listening to the sad blow of the bugles and then everyone bowing their heads. Megan, Jemima and Anaya were asked to lay down the wreath on behalf of Northwood College; walking up the stairs in that silence reminded us of all the lives lost for our better future. After that experience we truly understood the meaning of freedom and will always be grateful for all the men who gave their lives in the First World War.
| A vignette from Immy
When we visited the cemeteries, I cried at almost every single one. In Ypres, we went to a chocolate shop and I was able to purchase some poppy-shaped chocolates; I thought they were fitting considering the trip we were on. After the Last Post, I gave one of my chocolates to each of the buglers, which they took graciously. One of them gifted me a pin with the Menin Gate on it which I later pinned to my school blazer. |
The next day we went to a museum to look more into the medical side of the War, the technological advancements and the issues overcome during the war. One of the last cemeteries we visited had two women in the cemetery which is extremely uncommon for military cemeteries. One of the women was a nurse who died from a shelling incident. A German shell explosion unfortunately pierced her abdomen, damaging several vital organs, leading to her death. The second woman was a mother who had asked the gardener there at the time if she could be buried with her son who died in the War. The gardener, unfortunately, refused. However, a year later he was sent a box with her urn in it. There was a note, again requesting to be buried with her son, and so she was. In the middle of the night the gardener buried her urn less than a foot away from her son’s headstone.
It was also revealed that there was a soldier in the cemetery who was from Northwood; he lived near to Maxwell Road. This was the cemetery where Sophia, Meriam and Immy were asked to lay another poppy wreath, honouring the deaths of all soldiers. We mourned the lives commemorated there and appreciated the beautiful place they all occupy.
The visits we made to each of the sites provided us with a better understanding, appreciation and sense of scale about the Great War, as well as highlighting how we might sometimes take for granted the lives we lead. We were only there for two days but we wished we had been there for longer.
We would like to thank the History Department and everyone who came with us for organising such a moving and eye-opening trip for Year 9, which we all thoroughly enjoyed. We would also like to thank our engaging and informative tour guides, Julian and Frank, for their part in our amazing trip.
By Megan and Immy (Year 9)