London, Ypres & the USA

The past few weeks have seen the History department travel far and wide to see, discover and enjoy the variety that History has to offer all around the world. 

Ypres and Kent  

The whole of Year 9 headed out to gain an understanding of WW1 and life in the trenches at the end of the half term. Half of them travelled across to Belgium to visit the battlefields, trenches and cemeteries in Ypres, Tyne Cot and the Somme. They then had the memorable opportunity to participate in the Last Post at the Menin Gate and to lay a wreath. Those who did not brave the Channel ferries got the opportunity to learn about the trenches in a reconstruction in Kent. While there they had the chance to “Dress the Tommy” and understand what trench and WW1 life was like for a British soldier in France or Belgium. 

USA  

27 happy and excited students flew from Heathrow to New York for the first week of the half term break. The Big Apple provided so many exciting experiences, from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to standing on the “Top of the Rock” to see the whole city, the most incredibly moving experience for everyone was the 9/11 Museum which had to be experienced to be fully understood. 

Arriving in Philadelphia everyone got see Independence Hall and see exactly where the Declaration of Independence was signed. We split the group with half enjoying the delights of incarceration in Eastern State Penitentiary where Al Capone stayed; the remainder visited the museum of American Revolution. 

The final, and best, part of the trip was Washington DC where the museums and sights were unending; the highlight for many was the mightily impressive Lincoln Memorial. The trip up the Washington Monument was made even more special as we had the viewing platform almost entirely to ourselves. The whole trip was finished with the chance to see George Washington’s home in Mount Vernon. These are just some of the opportunities the group had, in just 6 days we covered over 150,000 steps.  

London 

A successful and enjoyable day for Y11 GCSE History students in London. First, visiting St Paul’s Cathedral, where, following 528 (gruelling) steps we reached the top of the cathedral and enjoyed the fantastic view of the City of London where the trip continued with a short walking tour which included the memorial to the Great Fire. After passing the Tower of London they embarked on the Thames Clipper boat for their travel to the Royal Greenwich Observatory. After visiting the planetarium, they discovered the essential nature of time and timepieces in Restoration England and how this drove the development of the UK’s maritime trade.