Exploring the First World War Battlefields

During half-term girls in Year 9 travelled to Belgium and France to explore the Battlefield sites of the First World War. The visit helped to bring the conditions faced by soldiers in the conflict to life for the group and served as excellent enrichment to the  work they have been doing in their History and English lessons.

On arrival the girls spent the day in and around Ypres, the scene of three major First World War battles.  Here the girls learnt about the medical treatment of soldiers with their first stop at Lijssenthoek Cemetery, the site of Lijssenthoek Casualty Clearing Station and Brandhoek Advanced Dressing Station.  The girls found the visit quite poignant when they learnt that there was a strong local connection with two men commemorated at the cemetery, W Crabbe from Penn and Private H Brown from Marlow. 

Following Brandhoek the group visited Tyne Cot, one of the larger battlefields cemeteries.  Here Emily F was able to commemorate her relative, William Kerrison, who was honoured on the memorial to the missing. 

The Bayernwald German trench system was next for the girls.  They were able to explore the reconstructed trenches, seeing for themselves how they were built and imagine what the conditions would have been like for the soldiers who fought and lived in them.  The day concluded with Lucy H, Niharika S and Jemima C representing Pipers in the Menin Gate Last Post service in Ypres, where they laid a wreath.

The next day saw the girls travel to the Somme in France and visitthe German war cemetery, Achiet Le Petit. Here the girls were able to see how differently the war dead were commemorated.  The girls also visited Le Tourney Military Cemetery and Loos Memorial, where two girls were able to see commemorations for family members. Following the cemeteries they visited Serre and Sheffield Memorial Park where they learnt about the fate of the Pals Battalions on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.  They also visited Newfoundland Memorial Park, another preserved trench system managed by the Canadian Government, which commemorates the soldiers from Newfoundland who lost their lives during the battle.

To finish the tour the girls visited the Lochnager mine crater and the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.  Here they heard the story of Albert Janes from Great Kingshill whose name is on the memorial.

Mrs Tinnelly, Head of History said “Visiting the battlefields of Belgium and France is a poignant experience for the girls and one they will always remember.”

For more photos please take a look at the Pipers Flickr account.

For more information contact:

Rebecca Conroy, Senior Marketing Executive, Pipers Corner School. Telephone 01494 719850 or email [email protected]

For up to date news and information please “Like” us on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter @PipersCornerSch