World War I Battlefields Trip

Last weekend, a group of our promising Year 8 and 9 historians visited the Western Front to develop their understanding of the First World War.
"We started our trip by visiting Essex Farm Cemetery which was the location of an Advanced Dressing Station during the war. As CCF is a member of the Friends of St George’s, we visited St George’s Memorial Church to see the plaque dedicated to CCF pupils and were also given  a short talk from Professor Mark Connelly (University of Kent) about the history of the church.

On Friday night, we attended the Last Post Ceremony, a short remembrance service held at the Menin Gate every evening at 8pm since 1928. Two of our pupils laid a wreath during the ceremony.

On Day 2, we explored the preserved trenches at Vimy Ridge. During our guided tour of the Somme on Saturday afternoon the students visited Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

On our final day, during a guided tour of Ypres, we went to Langemark, the Germany cemetery, St. Julien Memorial and Tyne Cot. Before heading back to CCF, the students spent some time exploring the tunnels, trenches, historical objects and interactive elements in the Passchendaele museum.

At both Thiepval and Tyne Cot we paid our respects to several former CCF pupils who gave their lives at both the battles of the
Somme and Passchendaele. Two of these included Private K.W. Reeves who was
only 16 years old when he died on the first day of the Somme (1st July 1916) and
2nd Lt. W.V. Eastman of 27 Dudley Road (at the back of Finchley
Cricket Club) who died on 4th October 1917 as part of the Battle
of Passchendaele."