English Literature students take a trip to Belgium

Eight A-level English Literature students went to Belgium last week in order to visit the World War One battlefields, which feature heavily in Sebastian Faulks' novel ‘Birdsong', one of the set texts of their AS exam.

The intrepid explorers left school early Friday morning and battled their way through rush hour traffic to get to St. Pancras where they hopped on the Eurostar to Brussels. From Brussels they successfully navigated their way to the correct platform to take a local train to Ypres. A mad sprint, some huge leaps and throwing of luggage onto the train ensued when they realised they had to be in the front carriage, but were waiting at the wrong end of the platform.

The arrival in Ypres was equally eventful as Mrs Murray gracefully fell off the train as her bag finally broke completely, but it turned out to be advantageous as Peter kindly carried her bag for the rest of the trip! A slightly suspect period of map reading meant the walk to the hotel was longer than it should have been, but all the drama was worth it when the group finally found the hotel.

The Alleezie Hotel was a large, four storey, five double-bedroom house, which the group had all to themselves (news that was no doubt a great relief to the other visitors of Ypres). Dinner that night was at a local restaurant, where the best chicken and chips ever to have been made was served to the delight of all - except for Franck, who had eaten too many croissants before dinner and therefore wasn't hungry!

The next day the group set out on their first tour and visited several battlefields and historical sites, including Tynecot Cemetery, Sanctuary Wood Museum and trenches and the site of the Battle of Passchendaele. Steve, their Canadian tour guide, was a fountain of knowledge and all the pupils learnt vast amounts about World War One; the trenches; the cemeteries; the strategic importance of Ypres and the underground tunnels. That evening after another delicious dinner the group went to the funfair in Ypres and had a great time on all the rides and winning lots of interesting prizes.

The next day saw the arrival of a storm, with pouring rain and gale force winds. The group went cheerfully out though to the next set of battlefields, with Steve once again as their guide. Hill 61, the site of huge craters caused by the explosion of underground mines proved to be an all-too-realistic battlefield though as the group battled the elements and flying branches. Once again, everyone learnt a tremendous amount and had a fulfilling (and slightly adventurous day). Before dinner the group went to the Menin Gate, where a Last Post ceremony is held every night in honour of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient, but whose bodies have never been recovered. The ceremony was poignant and moving, and a great reminder to all how much was sacrificed for us. Later that evening once again saw an excellent meal and fun at the fair.

By Monday, it was time to leave, although not before one last walk around Ypres and some more waffles. The return journey was less eventful than the way out and everyone returned home safely, with a vast knowledge of World War One, which will prove invaluable to their study of ‘Birdsong'.

Mrs Murray - March 2010