Ypres & The Somme

Day 1 - Ypres

An early start, as you make your way from school to France, collecting your Battlefield guide before crossing to Calais (Eurotunnel or ferry crossing available). En-route your guide will give a full introduction to the First World War.

The first visit today is Essex Farm, an advanced dressing station and now a CWGC Cemetery and the location where Canadian doctor John McCrae wrote the famous poem “In Flanders Fields”. Amongst those buried here is Pte Strudwick, who died at only 15 years old and Pte Barratt VC.

Stop at Vancouver Corner, site of the first ever large-scale gas attack during the second Battle of Ypres, learn more about this type of warfare, under the watchful eye of The Brooding Soldier, the memorial dedicated to the men of Canadian First Division.

Langemark German Cemetery, is one of only four German cemeteries in the Flanders region. Compare the stark contrasts to our own cemeteries, including a mass grave containing 25,000 soldiers and hear some of the stories associated with this cemetery, including Adolf Hitler’s visit during the Second World War. The cemetery is the final resting place of many unexperienced young students so also has the name of “Studentenfriedhof” (Student’s Cemetery).

Next make your way to the Passchendaele Memorial Museum, an interactive exhibition giving a good overview of the Battles of Ypres, with emphasis on the horrific Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. The Museum’s reconstructed dugouts and trenches bring the battlefield to life and allow students to experience first-hand the miserable conditions of underground warfare.

The final visit today is Tyne Cot CWGC Cemetery to learn more about the third battle of Ypres and the misery of the mud at the largest Commonwealth War Cemetery in the world.

Then it’s back to the hostel for dinner, followed by free time and chocolate shopping.

Highlights

• “In Flanders Fields”
• Langemark German Cemetery – the story of the students
• Passchendaele Memorial Museum - visual and hands on experience
• Chocolate shopping

Day 2 - Ypres

A full day exploring the battlefields and memorials around Ypres in Belgium. First, head to Messines where the battle started on the 7th June 1917 with the detonation of 19 mines under German lines. The devastation they caused can still be seen in the preserved craters at St. Eloi and Spanbroekmoelen. The Messines Ridge Cemetery is the final resting place of 1,534 soldiers, of which only 577 could be identified and on the Memorial to the Missing you will find the names of over 800 soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

A short drive away is one of the few sites in the area where preserved trenches can still be found, in this case a section of restored German support trenches including four bunkers and two mine shafts which will allow you to learn about the Battle of Messines from the German perspective.

The story of mining in the First World War is continued at the next stop, Hill 60, a small area of elevated land in an otherwise flat landscape, still showing the battle scars from over a hundred years ago, with craters and bunkers.

At Hooge Crater Museum, the war comes to life, with full scale reconstructions of war scenes, an extensive medical display, including an original Ford T Ambulance and reconstructed German and British trenches. Learn how the trenches were built and gain a greater understanding of trench diseases and their treatment. At the rear of the museum, follow the front line in the footsteps of the soldiers with a walk to Railway Wood.

Heading back to Ypres, visit the Menin Gate, to hear the story of this “Memorial to the Missing” and the Last Post Association. Following dinner, attend and participate in the Last Post Ceremony, where a few selected students will lay a wreath on behalf of the school. Highlighting the theme of remembrance, it is a time for reflection, to show respect for others and recognise the sacrifices made by an entire generation on our behalf.

Highlights

• Bayernwald Trenches – reconstructed trenches
• Hooge Crater Museum – full size scenes and medical display
  
• Participate in the Last Post Ceremony

Day 3 - The Somme

This morning, head for the Somme. En-route your guide will tell you about the first day of the Battle of the Somme and show supporting videos. The first stop is Sheffield Memorial Park, where you will learn about the Pals Battalions and the New Model Army.

Then it is onto Newfoundland Park, which is on grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their attack on the 1st July 1916, resulting in them being all but wiped out. The grounds remain largely untouched and among the memorials and cemetery can also be found an excellent visitors’ centre.

Next see Ulster Tower which stands proudly as a memorial to the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division, who would go on to win nine Victoria Crosses during the Somme offensive and at the entrance to the Tower is a plaque commemorating their names.

The largest British Memorial in the world can be found at Thiepval, which is the next stop. Learn more about some of names found amongst over 72,000 inscribed on this Memorial.

Just a short drive on, stop at Lochnagar Crater, the result of a huge mine that was placed under the German lines and whose massive explosion signalled the start of the Battle of the Somme. Here, take time to discuss underground warfare and the reasons behind this type of warfare.

Fricourt German Cemetery contains 17,000 burials of which only 5,057 have an individual grave and communal graves contain the remainder of the dead. The famous German pilot Baron Manfred von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron, who was shot down and died on 21st April 1918, was buried here for a time before his body was moved and taken to Germany.

The final stop today before making your way back to Calais is Devonshire Cemetery where you will learn more about the Devons on the first day of the Somme and in particular William Noel Hodgson the poet, who was killed on the first day of the battle and is buried in the Cemetery.

Highlights

• Lochnagar Crater – size and scale
• Standing under the main arch of Thiepval Memorial