Year 10/11 History Trip to the 1st World War Battlefields Oct 2005

Not for the first time, we set off to explore parts of the First World War battlefields where a million British and Commonwealth troops died. Sometimes it almost seems that it was a war fought only by the British against the Germans, and the allies helped out. The GCSE syllabus rather emphasises that false perception by following Government instructions to teach a quota of British national history. Just as the British Commanders refused to talk in French with their allies in case this would look as if the French were running the war, so a somewhat blinkered view of the realities of warfare is perpetuated a century later. Visiting the cemeteries and the locations of the fighting was intended to correct some of the imbalance.

Whether it did or not, you will need to talk to those who went to find out. We were a party of just under 30, comprising adults and Years 9 and 10 History students, and we encountered both sunshine and fog. What a difference the weather makes to the occasion, yet also contrasting memories. The Thiepval Memorial to the British dead and missing of the Somme was so shrouded in mist that its immense bulk was almost invisible at 200 metres. It was sublimely atmospheric. Lounging in the warm sunshine in the recently excavated Yorkshire Trench provided an obvious contrast. Canadian students guided us through Newfoundland Park and the Vimy Ridge tunnels. The preserved trenches at Sanctuary Wood provided the usual excitement that wet mud provides to hippos and teenagers. The Last Post at the Menin Gate provided its usual climax. Different moments provided different memories but in the end this was the usual touching moment where someone in a grave was asking someone who was just a girl (or boy) to remember.

John Searle-Barnes

Many thanks to John Searle-Barnes for organising this trip and to Marianne Rochford and Martin Hugall for their help.

Photos by Martin Hugall and Matt Hemes.

Click on the peace dove to find out more about the Peace Pledge Union. The PPU is an independent organisation of individuals from all walks of life. Their shared belief is that war and violent conflict are neither necessary nor inevitable. Their shared aim is to work towards creating a just world free from war.