Battlefields Trip

Just before midnight on 17 October, a coach full of 45 very sleepy Marlborough Year 9s, alongside Mr Moss, Miss Cox, Mr Moore, Miss Winfield, and Miss Sheridan, departed from Woodstock and headed for Dover. Crossing the English Channel just before dawn, the group landed in Calais for our annual World War 1 Battlefields Trip. 

The first day centred around Arras, France, the site of a lengthy battle in 1917. We began with a visit to Vimy Ridge, the site of a crucial Canadian victory, to see preserved Allied and Entente trenches and a vast monument. Next, we headed to Neubille-Saint-Vaast German Cemetery, the largest German military cemetery in France. Finally, we visited the Wellington Tunnels, which were carved out of medieval quarries to create underground barracks for 24,000 soldiers. After a busy day, we headed to Belgium and arrived at the hostel, which has welcomed Marlborough students for many years, for a well-deserved rest. 

On Day 2, we crossed back into France, and explored the Somme region. The day began with a visit to the Devonshire Trench, the resting place of 163 soldiers who died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. We then visited Fricourt German Cemetery, where 6000 of the 17000 buried soldiers remain unknown. Following this, we arrived at the Lochnagar Crater, the site of the largest mine of the war. Next, we visited the Thiepval monument to the 70,000 British and South African soldiers who went missing during the Battle of the Somme. Finally, we returned to Ypres. After dinner, we saw the Last Post at the Menin Gate, where a choir and buglers honoured the fallen. 

On our third and final day, we began with a visit to the excellent Leonidas Chocolate Shop. Laden with treasures, we then went back to the Menin Gate. Then, we visited Essex Farm Cemetery, a former dressing station where John McRae wrote his famous poem ‘In Flanders Fields’. Our penultimate stop was to the Langemark German Cemetery, which memorialises 44,000 soldiers. We ended by visiting Tyne Cot, the world’s largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces.

At last, it was time to cross back over the Channel. The travellers arrived back in Woodstock late Sunday evening, wearied but still buzzing about all they had seen. The battlefields trip is always a student favourite, and provides a fantastic opportunity for students to enrich their learning.