A group of 51 girls from Years 9 and 10 travelled to the World War One battlefields of Belgium and France in November. With the help of some inspiring tour guides the tragic events of warfare were really brought to life in order to enhance the girls' understanding of trench warfare for their studies in History.
On arrival the girls were able to participate in "show and tell" sessions with a British Tommy and sampled a trench meal of sausage and vegetable stew before exploring a network of reconstructed German trenches in Bayernwald.
They also visited Essex Farm – the scene where Canadian army surgeon John McCrae wrote his well known poem "In Flanders Fields". Here, they learnt about the medical conditions during the First World War as well as the story of McCrae himself.
As evening drew in, the group watched a re-enactment of the Christmas truce of 1914, and later participated in the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres where three girls laid a wreath on behalf of the school.
History teacher Mrs Tinnelly said, "It was an enormously powerful trip for the girls to get a true insight into the horrors of the First World War. One of the most moving parts of the visit was perhaps the morning spent at the Somme, where cold, damp conditions did not stop the guides from firing the girls' imaginations with descriptions of the Battle of the Somme in 1916."
Over the two days, several girls were also able to make pilgrimages to the graves or memorials of relatives who had died in the First World War, which was an emotional experience for all involved