34 year 9 & 10 Marlborough students spent three days exploring the battlefields and cemeteries of the First World War’s Western Front. We were lucky enough to have Steve Roberts, renowned historian, as our tour guide. Students observed the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate, a ceremony to remember those British and Commonwealth soldiers who gave their lives defending Ypres, that has continued every evening since 1928.

A visit to the Somme battlefields, Sunken Lane and Thiepval, where students study the tragic story of the Salford Pals in Year 8, was followed by workshops on equipment, weapons, and medicine.

We also visited Hill 60 where St Albans soldier, Ted Warner, won the Victoria Cross in 1915.

Six of our students went on pilgrimages to visit the headstones or memorials of their relatives, which ended with our own ceremony at Tyne Cot cemetery where we laid a wreath of poppies.

Thank you to all staff members and students on the trip for making it a memorable experience.