34 students from Carisbrooke College and 34 students from Medina College left a very cold Cowes on Thursday 7 December for a visit to the battlefields in Belgium. The first visit after a long trip via the Eurotunnel was Hooge Crater. This is described as the finest private museum in Flanders. The students were able to see genuine world war one weapons, uniforms and many other items including a full size model of a period bi-plane. Our next stops of the day were two cemeteries – Tyne Cot where many thousands of British and Commonwealth servicemen are buried and then onto Langermark, where thousands of German soldiers are buried. After an excellent evening meal, the students then went to the Menin Gate where 3 students from each school were able to take part in the daily Act of Remembrance by laying a poppy wreath.
The next day started with an early breakfast and then a visit to Flanders Fields Museum in the Cloth Hall of Ypres. This is a wonderfully interactive museum where students were able to find the story of local Hampshire soldiers and follow this through the course of the war. After this, students had some free time to explore the center of Ypres and the Christmas Market, before beginning our long journey home via one last chocolate shop.
It was an absolute pleasure to take 68 students who behaved impeccably throughout the whole of the trip. They were supported wonderfully by 7 members of federation staff from across all 3 sites.
