Alnwick students make trip to the battlefields of northern France and Belgium

Based in Ypres, next to the Menin Gate memorial, 40 students spent each day visiting cemeteries, museums and battlefields in both the Belgian Ypres Salient and the French Somme area.

The school organised the trip based on the history of the Northumberland Fusiliers and the Tyneside Scottish, two regiments that are heavily linked to families in the area.

Students conducted a two minute silence at the site of the Lochnager crater where many Shilbottle soldiers who were part of a Pioneer platoon of the Tyneside Scottish were based on the 1st July 1916 - the start of the Battle of the Somme.

They also heard personal stories from ancestors of other students on the trip, a really moving experience.

Students concluded the trip by taking part in the Last Post Ceremony in Ypres, with three students laying a wreath on behalf of the entire school community in front of 3000 people.

Co-headteacher James Wilson who led the trip said: “It was an absolute pleasure to take these students away to such a poignant place. To be able to pay our respects more than 100 years after World War One was an absolute honour. A lasting memory for all involved in the trip.”