Battlefields Trip

Almost every June the department organizes a trip for approximately forty S3 and S4 Standard Grade History pupils to the battlefields of the First World War.   This involves visits to the Ypres Salient and the Somme and Vimy Ridge areas.   Pupils never fail to be moved by the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres, or by visits to cemeteries such as Tyne Cot.

This excursion relates to Unit II International Co-operation and Conflict 1890s - 1920s of the Standard Grade Course.

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Battlefield Trip 2006

Photos to follow

The Battlefields

Each year the school takes a number of third and fourth year history students to the battlefields of the First World War in France and Belgium.  On the trip the students visit various places of interest’, these include trenches used in the war, cemeteries for those who lost their lives, monuments honouring the dead and museums showing war artefacts and displays.

The students visit many battle sites, being able to see what the trenches were like and the distance between the different armies, which varies from distances in kilometres to just a few dozen metres. The trenches, although not as deep as they used to be show that great work was put into digging them and that all land captured was considered important.

There is also a visit made to the biggest crater on the Western Front which is a sight to behold.  The crater known as La Boisselle or The Lochnagar Crater was created by an underground mine filled with 60,000lbs of explosives which sent earth so high up in the air, it took ten minutes to fall back to earth. 635 Germans were killed in this explosion.

Seeing the vast number of graves in one place is a great shock to all.  This is reinforced when visiting Tyne Cot and the French National Cemetery at Notre Dame de Lorette, each holding many thousands of graves, many in mass graves.  It is also fascinating to see how different religions and cultures show respect for their dead. For instance, the Jewish visitors leave stones on top of the grave, as they believe that flowers wilt and die but stones do not and form a lasting tribute to the dead.

The visit to “In Flanders Fields” Museum in Ypres gives fascinating information to all its visitors.  Here they have great displays of artillery, rifles, uniforms and other items used in the war as well as interactive items and sound effects. (Its shop is well stocked with good souvenirs at reasonable prices).

The Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate also in Ypres takes place on a daily basis honouring those who died in the Ypres salient but whose bodies were never found.  The Menin Gate has thousands of names on stone tablets, as does The Thiepval memorial of The Somme giving a lasting memorial to the missing of The Somme.

The visit to Newfoundland Park on The Somme is another terrific experience.  Here, escorted by the Canadian students who act as guides, you are taken through the Canadian trenches and out in to No-Mans-Land; it is here that the last remaining tree from this area of The Somme stands. Known as The Danger Tree it is riddled with gunfire. Another Canadian memorial is Vimy Ridge.  Here the students are taken through underground tunnels used by soldiers in the war from areas of the front line to transfer troops, equipment and explosives in preparation for a massive Canadian offensive in 1917. There are also excellent trench reconstructions.

In conclusion the battlefields is an amazing trip and is recommended by all who have been on it. However it would not be anywhere near as good without the work that is put in by Miss Dunlop, Mrs MacConnachie and all other staff who are involved.

 2006 Trip Report

The Battlefields Trip, 18th-23rd June 2006
The annual Battlefields Excursion left, as usual, at the hideously early hour of 5am arriving in Dover to board our ferry to Calais, then going on by coach to St. Omer. The teachers spent much of the ferry journey trying to obtain a birthday cake for Richard Harragan. Eventually an enormous chocolate gateau was purchased for Richard to share out.
  Our first day was spent in and around the Belgian town of Ypres, the site of four battles in the Great War. We visited the “In Flanders Fields” museum and numerous renches, memorials and cemeteries. Some gruesome photographs of wounded soldiers and the number and scale of the cemeteries helped pupils to start to understand the suffering of those who fought in the long-ago conflict. On a lighter note, the range of welly styles and colours displayed at Sanctuary Wood was very impressive; particular mention goes to Fiona Dennis, Natasha Haley (think pink!) and Siobhan Waddell.
Day 2 was spent on the Somme in France, where, on July 1st, 1916, a major offensive by British and French troops was launched. On that day, the weather had been beautiful; our group were not so fortunate and were quickly drenched, particularly those who — despite clear instructions — had not brought waterproofs with them. The weather did, however, provide an authentically muddy trench experience, and no one actually developed trench foot!
The weather remained damp and misty the next day, which added poignancy to
our visit to the French National Cemetery at Notre Dame de Lorette, where over
40,000 French and French colonial troops are buried. Many pupils walked the grounds
in silence, later lighting candles of remembrance in the beautiful chapel there. Pupils were able
to relax a bit more in the trenches nearby, where Angus (Tarantino) Galloway and his chums
raced around “shooting” one another and creating video clips of their exploits. Any energy lost
was replaced during the afternoon’s visit to a shopping mall. Many of the students played
football most evenings with Premiership intensity; Michael (“Football is my life”) Holness and
Blair Meikle were particularly keen.
Our final day abroad was spent in Bruges, where all participated in a canal cruise and wandered around this beautiful Flemish city. Many pupils (and teachers) took this last opportunity to purchase substantial amounts of fabulous Belgian chocolate and chips.
The journey home was fairly uneventful, though Miss Conalty’s and Miss Dunlop’s quiz team nearly made it into the disco quiz playoff Michelle Smith proved an organisational whiz at getting together a collection for our driver Tony (we love sat-nav) ,who got us all home safe and sound. Despite the unusually disappointing weather, staff and pupils had an enjoyable and rewarding experience. History and chocolate  what more could one ask?