History Trip to Belgian Battlefields

On our Belgium History Battlefields trip, the most fun part was going into the trenches. They looped around many areas, the best part of them were small rocky dugouts. We also went to Hill 60 where we learnt about the different types of injuries and how they were treated. We were intrigued to learn that they treated the least injured soldiers first so that they could send them back into the war to fight again. Something that was particularly enjoyable was that there was a lot on interactive opportunities for us to take part in. The next stop was the Reservoir Cemetery near Ypres.

There we learned further about injuries and that the reason there was a cemetery was because this was one of the places the injured soldiers would be sent for treatment; sadly, many died and were buried. Our final stop of the day was the Menin Gate; we arrived there at just before the ‘last post’ which happened at 20:00 pm. It was quite emotional being there as it reminds you of all the people who sacrificed and lost their lives for us to have a good future. Something new we discovered was, whenever a soldier’s body is found and identified, they remove their name from the Menin Gate and give them a proper headstone to remember them. Before going to the hotel, we had to make one final stop which was the chocolate shop! They had so many different types of chocolate which were so rich and soft. They also had a lot of alcoholic chocolates and that was quite funny as the shopkeeper thought I wanted to buy them!

On day two, we visited Langemark German Military Cemetery, and then moved on to Vancouver Corner, where the Canadian soldiers that fought in the war are remembered. Here, our guide talked to us about gas attacks and then showed us the evolution of gas masks and some of us got to try them on and show how they worked which was fun. Next stop, Hooge Crater Museum where one of us got to wear an army uniform. This was really fun and interesting as it showed you how much soldiers back then had to carry and how heavy the uniform is all together; the gun was quite a lot heavier than expected.

We also learnt more about the medical side of the war, including how injured soldiers were transported and the work done by women in the war. After lunch, we made our way to the Brandhoek CWGC cemetery. This one was very interesting as we learnt about a soldier from the Royal Army Medical Corps called Captain Noel Chavasse who was one of the only three people to be awarded the Victoria Cross Medal twice. Our last stop was the Lijssenthoek. This cemetery had soldiers from the Commonwealth and all around the world, including French, English, Indian, Chinese, Australian and many more. One grave was for a nurse who died and was also the only female grave in the cemetery. To end the trip, we laid a poppy wreath on behalf of our Northwood College in remembrance of all the soldiers who fought in the Great War.

by Sahaana and Diya