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On the morning of Monday 26 February, Year 9 and Year 10 students departed from LVS Ascot for their trip to Ypres. This was to learn more about World War I and the atrocities of warfare.
After crossing the Channel on our coach (by Eurostar) they reached the Memorial Museum Passchendaele in Zonnebeke in Belgium. The museum has some of the most accurate depictions of trenches, which students were able to visit and walk through. The weather was rainy and dreary, which made the experience even more realistic.
The trip continued with a visit to Tyne Cot British Cemetery (IMG 9894) where almost 12,000 soldiers from the Commonwealth countries are buried.
On Tuesday we were accompanied by the local tour guide, Simon, who took us first to the Langemark German Cemetery (IMG 9897) where he explained how the Germans remembered their fallen. He added an interesting story and video about how Hitler had then used his own visit to the cemetery in 1940 for his own WWII propaganda.
Simon then brought us to Hill 60 and Caterpillar Crater (IMG 9899), explaining how the British soldiers in the trenches were able to build a tunnel under the German trenches and blew them up, creating an exceptionally large crater in the landscape.
After lunch, the trip continued with a visit to the In Flanders’ Field Museum in the centre of Ypres and it concluded at the city’s most renown (and tastiest!) chocolate shop. By the end of the day, we all returned to LVS Ascot, armed with a deeper understanding of World War I, poignant memories and chocolate for friends and family.
