Flanders

Sophia Both, Grade 8

This year in history, grade 8 have been studying the causes and effects of WWI and their impact on the rest of the world, especially with the suffrage movement and voting acts of the 1900s. When the news had spread that we, the grade 8s, were to have a history trip to Belgium and France in March, we were ecstatic. We haven’t been able to travel or go on trips since February 2020 right before the lockdowns and the social distancing. In early December, the news got around fast, and everyone was lunging for the opportunity to travel as a student abroad. By the beginning of January, the list was set and a total of 30 students were scheduled to fly to Belgium on the 22nd of March.

The trip was planned and led by Mr. Tomasik with help from Mr. Garrett and Madam Bailly. The purpose of the trip was to show students what it was really like to be fighting in a world war and the problems it caused to local towns and landscapes. Not only this but also show the sites and memorials for each and every soldier who lost their lives fighting for their country.

On the 22nd of March, we reached Brussels airport at 12:45 local time. We went through immigration and grabbed our bags. The coach transfer was 2 hours long to reach the Ypres Lodge where we were staying. We arrived early so we managed to squeeze in a small walk around the city to view the local towns. The trip to Belgium wouldn’t have been a good one without chocolate, so we stopped by a chocolate shop and everyone ran to get chocolate. That night we all got settled into our rooms and unpacked, ready to sleep after a long and tiring day full of bus rides, passports, and planes.

The next day, we woke up and ate a filling breakfast of bread, tea, and croissants. We started the day early with a stop at the Essex Farm cemetery at 9:15. The cemetery was very special as it had an enormous age gap between the eldest and youngest soldiers buried there.

The youngest soldier, Rifleman Valentine Joe Strudwick, was only 15 when he died in battle making him one of the youngest British casualties of the great war. This made us reflect as that could have been us in that situation. Imagining ourselves in war during those gruesome times was terrifying. Imagine the blood you would see, the screams you would hear, the guns you would carry. A child should never have to go through that, we thought.

We then visited the In Flanders Fields Museum where we learned a lot about the effect the war had on the small city of Ypres, the propaganda many countries used to get young soldiers to enlist in the war, and different new technologies soldiers used. The next stop was our first trench where we got to experience the life of soldiers in the trenches of WW1. The trenches of Sanctuary Wood Hill 62 were incredibly muddy and dirty lined with corrugated iron. This allowed us to fully experience the muddy trench of the time. A pro-tip for those who might eventually go on a trip and visit trenches, as a team we highly suggest bringing waterproof and comfortable shoes as someone (myself), told herself she would be fine bringing 10-year-old boots that her mom used to wear, however, when she entered the trenches the sole of her shoes started to rip off and she could feel the mud in her shoes. She was later on forced to tie a hair band around the soles of her shoes to keep them in place until they reached the lodge again at 9:00 pm.

The next stops included the Passchendaele museum, the Tyne Cot cemetery, and the Langemark cemetery. In the Passchendaele museum, we saw the ins and outs of the trenches. The Langemark cemetery was especially interesting as we compared it to all the different cemeteries we saw during the trip and we noted that this one was much more gloomy and uncomfortable. We took into account the architecture and design layout of trees that made this cemetery particular. The trees were positioned in a way where there was hardly any light. Moreover, the headstones were all black and flat making them much gloomier. This was all done as it wanted you to reflect rather than rejoice in the lives of those who fought. To end the day, we visited the Menin gate for the Last Post ceremony which lasted for 30 minutes.

On day 3 of the trip, we checked out of the accommodation and hopped onto the coach, and drove to Croonaert Wood. This was another trench system that thankfully didn’t have as much mud. Here, we discussed the jobs of each line of trenches and what soldiers would do when they weren’t serving on the front line. Then we visited the beautiful Vimy memorial. This memorial was especially important for Noah Mansour, a Canadian student who also attended the trip. This is because it has the names of all the Canadian troops who died in the great war and represents the hundreds of other soldiers who are missing or unidentified. After this, we visited another Canadian memorial; Newfoundland Park. This is where we experience the incredibly strong rain of Europe halfway through our tour. After all of this, we stopped by a gorgeous coffee shop where the chickens running loose were the main attraction. We checked into our new accommodation in France and called it a day.

On the last full day of the trip, we visited the Ste. Emillie Valley cemetery where Heloise James another student on the trip, had her great-grandfather buried. Here she was able to lay a wreath of poppies and pay her respects. After this, we visited the famous Thiepval Memorial. We learned that the memorial was important as it held the names of 72,000 South African and British soldiers who died in the battle of the Somme before March 20th, 1918 without any known grave. It was also important because one of our teachers, Mr. Garrett, had the name of one of his relatives on this memorial.

The 26th of March marked the last day in France. We were meant to visit Paris, however, because of unexpected inconveniences we weren’t able to do so. This meant that we could go to the Palace of Versailles where we saw amazing paintings and beautiful gardens.

We arrive home back in Dubai on the 27th of March at 6:30 AM. This concluded our unforgettable history trip. This trip truly was a wonderful experience that benefitted us not only academically but also allowed us to improve our open-mindedness and understand that everyone had suffered the same and this conflict should never ever occur again. I believe I speak for everyone on the trip when I say I highly recommend going even if it is not with our school. This experience has really opened my eyes and has allowed me to see things that I would have never been able to see if it weren’t for this trip. We would like to thank Mr. Garrett, Madam Bailly, and especially Mr. Tomasik for making this opportunity available to us.