In commemoration of the 1915 Battle of Ypres and in preparation for their IGCSE coursework, Year 10 historians spent three days over the Easter break touring the battlefields of the First World War in Belgium and France.
They started by exploring a trench network near Ypres and the dressing station where John McCrae wrote ‘In Flanders' Fields’. The students then attended the very moving Menin Gate ceremony.
Day Two saw a tour of tunnels around Vimy Ridge where Canadians and Germans fought for control of the high ground while miners fought underground. From there, the historians headed down to The Somme, scene of the bloodiest battle in British military history, starting on 1st July 1916.
The trip allowed an opportunity for students to reflect on the enormity of the Great War, as we commemorate the centenary, while focusing on the experiences of individual soldiers, including relatives of students on the trip and also OPMs who gave their lives between 1914 and 1918.
An enormous amount was learned by all the students, who proved a great credit to Plymouth College.
