The English Department led a Year 7 trip to the battlefields of the Ypres Salient last week to enrich the study of World War I poetry. Many students were inspired to write their own poetry during a misty morning visit to the Essex Farm Cemetery. It was here in a medical bunker that John McCrae wrote his famous poem, In Flanders Fields. The students were given journals to gather thoughts, poetry, tickets and drawings of what they saw.
During the two days,they visited the Langemark German cemetery, the Tyne Cot British Cemetery and Menin Gate in Ypres. The students all searched for family names on the endless lists of fallen soldiers. One of the highlights was the Passchendaele Memorial Museum with its replica trenches and dug outs for the children to explore. The childrens conduct was excellent and several members of the public commented on their good manners.
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