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On the Battlefields Trip everything was really good apart from the early time of 5:45am for the coach to set off! The trip in general was excellent from the food to the company and the trips that were scheduled. The trip was also made extraordinary by the fact that people could see a relatives’ grave. The trips out were excellent and fluently organised, running in continuous stretches for visiting sites. The time stayed at each cemetery and front-line trench was just perfect to make the experience interesting and enjoyable. The trip at times was hilariously funny, especially when having a meal or sharing free time back at the hotel. We really got to see the HUMAN side of the teachers! The food which was eaten by everyone was so good – especially the chips. Mr Brown challenged us to eat the hotel out of chips and we definitely managed it!

We all learnt so much on the trip. From the tragic story of the Newfoundland Division at the Somme to the technology and mass destruction on a scale we couldn’t believe. At various sites, we visited intricate museums which showed information in a concise manner, so that the information was relevant to the certain aspect of a trench, for example. We learnt about the war being one of desperate savagery and cruelty, which was no less shown than at the ‘Massacre Barn’ of WW2. 

The trip to Tyne Cot Cemetery, Thiepval and Notre-Dame de Lorette Cemetery really put the scale of the war into perspective. The scale of Notre-Dame really knocked us all back, I think, into a feeling of us questioning whether their sacrifice was worth our freedom today. Yet the trip was not all doom and gloom, as we had the Olympic Mascots to welcome us back onto the warm coach – well, warm compared to the outside. We also had the joys of Mrs Bedford’s and Mr Tipper’s laughter to cheer us up, accompanied by the hero that is Mr Elson. It was a memorable experience which I would recommend to anyone, as the scale of war and the laughter that also came from the trip is the perfect mix to appreciate what life is. Yet this experience could not have been done without the lead teacher, Mr Brown, to whom we owe a huge thank you for the experience and the trip which produced many memories for us all. Thank you from everyone!

Alex Godfree, 11E