Annual History Battlefields Trip

The February half term saw the long awaited post-Covid return of the History department's annual trip to the Battlefields of Northern France and Belgium. 52 students from our Year 11 cohort were given a break from their PPE revision to walk the footsteps of history along the sites of one of the deadliest wars the world has ever seen.

Students were given fascinating and personalised stories of the soldiers who had lost their lives at these battlefields by Mr Summers, and there were regular stark reminders that the beautiful French and Belgium countryside and town squares that we found ourselves exploring were the most dangerous places on Earth to be stood just over a century ago.

Among some of the many sites visited were the Thiepval memorial, Ypres, the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland memorial, the Wellington tunnels, various Commonwealth War Graves and the Menin Gate, where we were also lucky enough to play a part in the nightly remembrance ceremony. Each of these sites was interesting for a number of different reasons, including some with close ties to Glyn School. Students clearly relished the opportunity to engage with the history of all of the sites we visited. 

The Year 11 students were a delight and a credit to the school over all 3 days and played a huge part in making the trip so enjoyable, through their genuine interest and in the respect they showed the sites and the events that had happened there. I’d also like to thank Mr Summers for all his work behind the scenes to organise the trip, Ms Davies, Ms Laidlaw and Mr Howard for all their help and of course the wonderful and knowledgeable Steve from Barnes Coaches. This trip remains a highlight of the History department, who all look forward to it running for future GCSE cohorts.

Mr Rice, History