"The Battlefields Trip was awesome and very emotional. Seeing the gravestones and the names of all of the people who died during the war was very different to looking at them in a textbook."

These are the words of Eleanor, a student who went on our annual Year 9 History Trip to the World War One Battlefields of France and Belgium. 

Fifty-eight pupils and six members of staff participated in this year's trip, which ran from June 25th-29th. Over the four days, the group visited some of the most notorious stretches of the Western Front and developed an understanding of the courage, sacrifice, and loss that the First World War entailed.

On day one, students visited the Trench of Death, or Dodengang, which is a preserved World War One trench in Diksmuide, Belgium, symbolizing the extreme peril and sacrifice of soldiers on the Yser Front. They also explored the Vladslo German War Cemetery, which contains the remains of more than 25,000 soldiers.

Day two saw pupils visiting the Wellington Quarry, Vimy Ridge, Pond Farm Tank, and the Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate, Ypres, in the evening. Four of our pupils were given the opportunity to actually take part in the ceremony and lay a wreath on behalf of the school. They were also initiated as members of the Last Post Association. So many students have said that this was a highlight of the trip and something that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Day three of the trip was focused around the Battle of the Somme. Having visited the Hawthorn Ridge Crater, Sunken Lane, Newfoundland Park, Delville Wood, and Ulster Tower were brought to life throughout the day by excellent guides. They were superb at drawing out some of the most famous spots on the group's route and picking out powerful individual experiences from the headstones in the military cemeteries they visited. This also included a colourful demonstration of the layout of the German defences in July 1916, and why this posed such a challenge for the British.

Students also visited Lonsdale Cemetery, where Mr Thomas shared the story of 2nd Lt. William Orr Hampton, an Old Elean from the Norfolk Regiment, who was killed at the Somme on 1st July 1916, along with his best friend, 2nd Lt. Roland George Ingle. Hearing of their sacrifice highlighted a compelling personal connection with the war through their shared experience of King’s. The group ended the day at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, which commemorates 72,337 British and South African soldiers who died in the Battles of the Somme during World War One and have no known grave, including several King's alumni.

On day four, pupils visited Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial, and Passchendaele Museum, where medical procedures on the Western Front were discussed, linking to the Year 10 History course. Chocolate shopping in Ypres was popular, especially the free chocolate for teachers! 

Mr James Foster, one of our History Teachers and Head of Year 11, said: "It was a fantastic trip, although temperatures hit 37 degrees on the Friday and Saturday. Despite the hot weather, our pupils conducted themselves with decorum throughout the trip. I was particularly impressed by their maturity and solemnity at the Last Post Ceremony, but also appreciated their positive attitude and good company. I would also like to thank Mr Colin Currie, Mr Andy Thomas, Mr Kevin Daniel, Mrs Sharon Jackson, and Miss Helen Briggs for their insight, support, and good humour throughout the trip."

In an email to Mr Foster, a parent of one of the students who went on the trip, said: "It sounds like the most awesome trip! Thank you all so much for the care, time, and organisation. I feel it is such an important experience for the students to have, and that it will stay with them always."