The Kimberley School Newsletter December 2016 | Page 6

Year 9 Battlefields
On Wednesday 9th November, 50 Year 9 students
travelled to northern France to take part in a three day
visit to the battlefields of the First World War.
After a long and tiring coach journey, we arrived on the
Somme. Despite the rather dreary day, students were
fantastic; ignoring the rain and wrapping up warm. Our
first stop was Lochnagar Crater. In 1916, the British
army attempted to mine under the German front lines.
The objective was to explode the mine to destroy the
German trenches. The plan failed, leaving a crater 70
feet deep.

soldiers to survive an attack and why there were suc
heavy losses at the Somme.

Day two, and we were up early to head to Belgium
Our first stop was Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. W
listened to the personal stories of those buried there
including that of Private Thomas Ince, who lived
Babington Lane in Kimberley. His name also appear
on the Kimberley War Memorial.

We next visited the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.
Students were in awe of the size of the memorial and
the 72,000 names of lost soldiers carved into its walls.

Students also visited Tyne Cot, the largest Militar
Cemetery in the World, before heading over t
Sanctuary Wood. Here, we had the opportunity t
explore the preserved trenches. The recent rain ha
left many flooded and muddy; the conditions in whic
many soldiers lived for years!

On the way to the hotel we stopped at Sheffield
Memorial Park, where we recreated ‘going over the
top’. The students witnessed just how difficult it was for

Our evening was spent in Ypres, where studen
had some free time before watching the Last Po
Ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial. Th