From October 25^th to the 28^th, around 30 KEVI HGS students, along with 4 members of staff, travelled to Ypres, Belgium. The trip began with a 6:30am departure from school to Dover. It was then a 1 1/2 hour ferry ride to the port of Calais and, finally, a 1 1/2 hour onward drive to Ypres.  Upon arrival at the Flanders Lodge Hotel we had time to unpack and relax before heading for dinner at 18:00pm. We Year 11s spent the rest of the evening playing pool in the games area, with Mr Jones and Mr Campbell continuing to teach us lessons, but about pool.

On Friday we had a very busy schedule. Breakfast was at 8am and we then headed to the first of many cemeteries in and around Ypres, the Essex Farm Cemetery. Our tour guide Pol was giving a lot of insight to the many graves and the actual war. After this cemetery we went to Tyne Cot Commonwealth Cemetery where the names of many missing soldiers from the war are recorded.  We then headed to the Passchendaele Memorial Museum where we explored the different environments the soldiers dealt with, and the recreated trenches and tunnels.  It was quite an experience!  After our evening meal we went to the Atlantis Bowling Alley which was one of my favourite parts of the trip even though I kept failing to hit the pins.

Saturday had a busy schedule too but we only visited two cemeteries.  We had respite from the rain at the Talbot House, which was a base for soldiers to relax and escape temporarily from the fighting. We drank tea and coffee and also went to the top room of the house which was used as a prayer room and as a place for baptisms. We also watched a video of a soldier narrating about life as a soldier in the house. After this the coach dropped off us near to the town centre where we were given free time. The first thing we did was go to Leonida’s which was a chocolate shop. After dinner back at the hotel, we headed to the Menin Gate for the 8pm ceremony and ‘Last Post’, which was my most memorable historical moment of the trip. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers’ names are printed onto the walls of the gate; the memorial service was extremely moving.

Our final day in Belgium would be a long travelling day back to Birmingham but first we had a pit stop in the beautiful city of Brügge. The town centre was absolutely amazing.  We went on a boat ride on the canals that go through the town and also had free time to explore. We found lots of designer stores and a shop which sold Belgian chocolate waffles topped with Belgian sauce and strawberries.  Thankfully, I was also able to find a souvenir shop to buy a Belgium keyring to add to my list of countries visited.  We also took some nice photographs and then finally made our way to the coach for our journey to school.

Overall the Belgium trip was a huge success for the students and the staff; everyone clearly had fun in their own way, even the teachers. On behalf of the students we would like to thank Mrs Hartt for her extended research about Ypres to find things specifically for us, Mrs Yates for her lifesaving umbrella, Mr Jones for sharing his incredible tunes and finally Mr Campbell for his witty, clever jokes!

Ayman Amin, Year 11

Please click here to see more photos within the gallery.

On Friday 9^th November 2018 a small number of musicians were invited to perform at the launch of Birmingham’s Interfaith Week 2018. The event is organised by the Birmingham Council of Faiths which aims to promote and maintain harmonious relations between different faiths in the city.  Those in attendance at this open meeting included members of the Jewish, Islamic, Christian, Bahá’I, Sikh and Hindu faiths as well as local MPs, Birmingham’s Lord Mayor Yvonne Mosquito and Mr Griffiths who is vice-chairman of the B.C.F.

Isaac Minto, Anu Adeleye and Keir Msuya performed three items and Jagraj Kahlon and Balkaran Kahlon performed a guitar duet. Following their performances many of those in attendance expressed their appreciation for the high quality of music performed.

Mr. Ward

King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys held its annual Remembrance Assembly in Big School on Friday 9^th November 2018. We were delighted to welcome a number of Governors, Charity Trustees and Old Boys to school to mark the occasion and share in this significant and important annual event. The Reverend Dr Bob Stephen who is Chair of the Governing Body and Rector of Handsworth led the act of Remembrance. The Headmaster delivered a very timely and thought provoking address which highlighted the necessity to work towards peace in all we do. He highlighted that important facets of life such as showing respect and tolerance of each other, being kind and compassionate and celebrating our differences are all highly significant steps on the road to peace.

Dr Bird noted that it was 100 years ago that the guns fell silent and the Great War was over The generation that fought shaped so much of the way life is lived today. The women who worked while their husbands, fathers and brothers were away fighting on the front line helped secure the right to vote. Many advancements also came about from these years, from developments in blood banks, x-rays and reconstructive surgery to the creation of a brand new and harder alloy: stainless steel. We saw so many pioneering developments such as the creation of the RAF and, of course, so much bravery and sacrifice. In the years that followed, The Royal British Legion was established.

In 1915 John McCrae was inspired to write the poem In Flanders Fields as he witnessed the beautiful poppies growing amidst the chaos and destruction of war. The poem later became the inspiration for using the poppy as a symbol of Remembrance and support.

The Senior Prefect team of Nasim Miah, Huda Benrekia, Elias Idjer, Olivia McKnight and Evin Siby all took an active part in the Assembly by reading poems and reflections whilst Nasim laid a wreath at the stained glass window with Mr Simon Farrell who is the President of the Bridge Trust Society. It was a very special event and a fitting tribute to the Old Boys whose names are listed on the memorial plaques in Big School. Big School was full as both Year 7 and Year 13 students attended the assembly whilst the remainder of school observed the occasion in their Form assemblies.

Haec Olim Meminisse Iuvabit

Year 7 students were invited to take part in a competition to create a memorial to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War 1. We had a very high number of entries and the standard was incredibly high.  Dr Bird judged the competition and chose Kirtivasan Sunder Subramaniah of 7A for the first place prize of a £20 Amazon voucher and 10 merits. His memorial was detailed, thoughtful, a tremendous amount of effort had clearly gone into this and demonstrated links with the school. Well done! The two runner up places went to Ben Whiteoak of 7G and Joshua Holdsworth of 7N. Both boys created unique and creative memorials, with Joshua even composing and performing an original song dedicated to the Old Boys of HGS. On behalf on the History Department, I would like to thank all students who took the time to create fantastic memorials to commemorate the fallen soldiers of World War 1.

Mrs Yates