A poignant trip to Belgium to make end-of-year presentations

A memorable trip to visit First World War Battlefields for college public protective space students also involved making their final presentations.The Lynn College of West Anglia students visited Belgium at the end of June to see the battlefields in Ypres.The trip also served as an opportunity for the students to deliver end-of-year presentations about topics relevant to the First World War.

Day one of the trip started with a visit to Brandhoek Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, the final resting place of Noel Chavasse, winner of two Victoria Crosses and a Military Cross. Here, Katie Hayes delivered her talk on the medical evacuation processes.After a drive to Langemarck German Cemetery to look at the mass grave of 25,000 soldiers, the group headed for Hill 60, one of the most bitterly fought over hills of the First World War.Day two started with a visit to Vancouver Corner, Saint Julien, and the Brooding Soldier Memorial.

After a short lunch in Ypres town it was time for Cameron Jackson’s talk about ‘The Wipers Times’, A satirical front-line newspaper written by, and issued to the men on the front lines. Mid-afternoon found the group studying the ‘In Flanders Fields’ Museum at the ‘Cloth Hall’ in the Town centre. Then the group visited the Menin Gate Memorial, it’s here that the Belgian Fire Service play the ‘Last Post’ to a huge gathering of tourists.Day three began with a visit to Spanbroekmolen crater to learn about mine warfare and the impact of 19 huge explosions on 7 June 1917.

This was also a chance for the students to search for war artefacts. After a short visit to Lone Tree CWGC Cemetery, the group went to the site of the Khaki Chums Christmas Truce at Plugstreet.Here, Alfie Kierman gave his talk about the Christmas Truce. Next on the agenda was the Bayernwald German Trench museum, to see how the Germans designed and built their trenches, before making the final visit of the trip to Passchendaele ‘Tyne Cot’ Cemetery. The final resting place of those allied men killed at the Third Battle of Ypres.Rob Cooke, public protective services lecturer, and co-ordinator or the trip said: “The trip served as an amazing opportunity for the students to contextualise the learning and research they had put in to their end of year presentations.“To be able to deliver them in the places they were written about was an amazing opportunity I will certainly never forget and hopefully they won’t either.”