Over the first weekend of half
term, 39 Year 9 historians embarked upon their first residential trip since
joining Shiplake College. It is sure to live long in the memory, as the group
traced the route that nearly a million British soldiers took in WWI. After
reaching northern France by boat, the coach trip to Ypres in Belgium used many
of the same roads which the troops marched down 100 years ago.
The pupils were accompanied by
Shiplake teachers past and present. In addition to the four current members of
staff, we welcomed back Jon Cooksey, a hugely respected expert on the
battlefields. Jon has appeared in many television and radio programmes in
recent years and is an increasingly successful and busy author.
The guided tour began in Belgium
and concentrated on the war around Ypres. The boys heard more about the early
history of the war, and then paid a visit to the Essex Farm cemetery, where
John McCrae wrote the poem “In Flanders Fields”. The theme of the trip was
‘remembrance’ and the staff encouraged the boys to think about why we remember.
Fittingly, there were wild poppies still flowering in the hedges nearby,
allowing Jon to take the opportunity to explain why they are still worn in
remembrance 100 years on.
It was then on to German
Langemark cemetery, which
is dark, brooding and full of oak trees said to symbolise strength. The
cemetery was built as a product of necessity as Belgium restricted burial sites
of fallen German soldiers. In contrast, the British and French dead are
honoured and buried where they fell in many cases. The cemeteries are much
lighter and as one pupil commented "feel like you are walking through a
churchyard in England". The headstones were gleaming white in the autumn
sun. Once again poppies, both wooden and wild, stood proud between the graves.
The day’s final appointment was
at the daily playing of the last post at the Menin gate, something that has
been taking place daily since 1921 only to be interrupted by the Second World
War. Over 4000 people had attended the ceremony the previous day, such is the
interest fueled by the centenary of the start of the war. Complete with pipe
band, the ceremony held beneath the gate which records the names of around
54,000 missing soldiers is a poignant reminder of the scale of the war and the
massive loss of life.
After a challenging day, the
group found time to head into Ypres for a compulsory visit to the chocolate
shop.
The
next day focused on the Somme – a battle which remains the bloodiest day in
British military history. The pupils learnt about how, after 2 years of
planning and preparation, the 'pals battalions' were destroyed amid a hail of
machine gun bullets, barbed wire, artillery and shrapnel. Pupils traced a
particular regiment along their old railway route towards the front line, up
the slopes into no man's land over the top, and finally to many of their graves
at Tyne Cot. The group all took a moment to pay their respects to Shiplake resident Eric Cheasley whose name
appears on the wall of remembrance, one of over 35,000.
On
the last day, the focus shifted to the Commonwealth; Canada in particular. Again, preserved trenches and a complex network of
underground tunnels provide a real insight into the layout of the front line
and also how incredibly close (no more than 20 metres at one point) the two
front lines were. This evoked a number of questions, as Head of History Mr
Morgan explains: “The pupils did us proud, challenging our tour guide Jordan with
intelligent questions on a whole range of topics including sniper posts, the
system of mines that run below the front line and even the shape and layout of
a trench. Jordan commented that they were among the most knowledgeable young
pupils he had spoken to in the past year.”
History teacher Mr Brown added: “Throughout
the tour the boys took time to reflect on their experiences by writing diaries,
and taking part in poetry and photography competitions. A number of boys
volunteered to read their poems to the group on the coach on the way home and
it is hoped that there will be a display of their exceptional work after half
term.
Two days after returning from
the Shiplake trip, Jon Cooksey was out on the Western Front again planning the
next installment of his battlefields tours for cyclists. We thank Jon once again
for his ongoing support of the College.”
