Altitude Spring 2013

SENNYBRIDGE CAMP S PR I N G 2013 PG 2 SHOOTING—MY FIRST TIME PG 3 UNIFORM INSPECTION PG 3 Cosford altitude BELGIUM YPRES CULTURAL CAMP By Cdt. N. Cook 5th—7th April 2013 A group of cadets from Cosford Squadron and other squadrons from the West Mercian Wing and Staffordshire Wing attended this cultural camp about World War 1. This camp involved visiting the war graves and also visiting the battlefields where the British, Canadian and German servicemen had fought for their lives. We also visited Europe’s largest war grave cemetery When we visited the war graves it was quite upsetting seeing the amount that had died. It was also quite upsetting to see the German war graves because they were not treated the same as the British. They were not kept clean and they were either faced away from the British Graves or placed flat on the ground. A German grave would not be just for one soldier it would be for a few, so the soldiers were buried very closely together. One of the battlefields we visited was Hill 60. Hill 60 was blown up by the British by laying a few mines. When it was getting blown up it was heard in London. On Saturday evening we had the chance to take part in a ceremony at the Menin Gate where the Last Post was played. The Menin Gate is the site of the memorial to the missing of the Salient. It lists the names of 54,332 servicemen who fell in the Salient and who have no known grave. It was an honour to take part in this ceremony and to pay our respects to those who had fought for our freedom and our future. This ceremony is performed every night at 8pm this is so they are never forgotten. Before the journey home we got the chance to go around buying souvenirs and then we did our last visit to the trenches where the British had fought in the appalling conditions for their lives and their country. As we never forget the British soldiers, we should also never forget the German soldiers, as they were forced like the British to go and fight when they did not want to. I was told by one of the staff that some of the British soldiers were no older than we are now and that some of the German soldiers were Cadets like us. >> 2497 (Cosford) Squadron Altitude | 2497cosfordsquadron.moonfruit.com Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing 1