Belgium Trip visiting the First World War Battlefields and Cemeteries

From the 24th to the 27th of October a party from Handsworth Grammar School ventured off to the Ypres, Belgium. However, our experience of Belgium was far from just tasting chocolate and indulging in waffles. The trip’s focus was to learn more about the historical aftermath of World War One.

We visited several memorials. One memorial in particular worth mentioning is the Menin Gate, a world famous memorial which remembers soldiers who fought in the First World War. We were told by our excellent tour guide that there were over 50,000 names inscribed on the walls of soldiers whose bodies were not found or who were buried in unnamed graves, a fascinating however disturbing number. Every day since 1927 one soldier is remembered with the playing of the Last Post, and we were privileged to experience this on our second night in Ypres. Our hotel was quite literally across the street from the Menin Gate.

We visited several well known cemeteries such as Langemark Cemetery, which contains the bodies of dead German soldiers. Ploegsteert Memorial, Tyne Cot Cemetery and Dozinghem Cemetery were three cemeteries we visited to commemorate the lives of and lay down wreaths for Handsworth Grammar students who fought and died during the war. We felt extremely privileged and grateful to be a part of the school and could not help but feel a degree of sympathy and gratitude towards these “Old Boys”. Not only did we remember the pupils of our school but also the men and women who died and still die in war, and, in particular, their families.

There was a great deal that I learnt about the more practical aspects that soldiers had to endure during this historic war. For instance I had never appreciated before that during trench warfare soldiers would often have to fight in treacherous and diseased conditions. This was incredibly disturbing to learn. Boys our age and only a few years older than us were asked to fight for their country and leave everything else behind.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t all hard work and gloom, apart from learning about the harrowing effects of war, we were also able to unwind and enjoy our free time to pursue more leisurely activities. For instance, we were able to show our competitive side when playing 10-pin bowling, where we were annihilated by Mr Mohsin who did not hide his elation. We were also able to try the local food at different restaurants, shop around and try local delicacies. On the last day we were given a free day in Bruges which was a chance to look around a beautiful medieval town and an opportunity spend our remaining money.

To sum up our experience, this trip really made our group as a whole appreciate the long lasting and damaging effects of war. We were taken aback by the countless lives that were sacrificed during the First World War and a lasting and deep impression was made when we consider that pupils from our own school died for the sake of our country’s interests. I would definitely consider going on the next trip abroad and I hope this report has influenced you to do the same.

Joel Braich