History Department Battlefield Tour 2018

Transcription

1 History Department Battlefield Tour 2018 This Wyke College overseas excursion is exclusive to Year Two History students, as it perfectly accompanies the British Experience of Warfare module. On this trip, you can explore the changing nature of warfare on this Wyke College Battlefield Tour to Waterloo, Ypres and Vimy Ridge. From the fields of Waterloo to the trenches and tunnels of the First World War, you will have the opportunity to explore for yourself the significant developments in warfare between 1815 and This trip was a great success in 2017 (please see the comments on Pages 11 & 12), so do not miss out! Total Cost The package cost will be 295 and is almost entirely inclusive. This covers the cost of all travel from Wyke College to Langemark, accommodation at Munchenhof Hostel with meals, and entry fees to the museums. It would be recommended that each student arranges to have some Euros with them as spending money to cover any additional costs (for example, the group may decide to eat out at a café for lunch, or visit a site not on the agenda). Itinerary Subject to availability to be finalised once all bookings are confirmed. Entry to the Passchendaele Museum and the In Flanders Museum is included in the cost, as is the 1815 Waterloo Museum Pass which will permit entry into most of the sites in Waterloo. 1

2 Day 1: Wednesday 21 November Coach leaves Wyke College Arrive Folkestone Eurotunnel crossing Arrive Calais Arrive Ypres. Check in to hotel for evening meal. Day 2: Thursday 22 November Breakfast in the hotel. Visit Tyne Cot British Cemetery and Visitor Centre, followed by the Passchendaele Museum. After lunch, visit Essex Farm Dressing Station and In Flanders Fields Museum. Evening Meal at the Hotel. Attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. Day 3: Friday 23 November Breakfast in the hotel. Day trip to Waterloo, including the Wellington Museum; the Memorial 1815 site (Lion s Mound and Hougemont Farm); Napoleon s Last Headquarters and Mont-Saint-Jean Farm. Return to hotel for evening meal. Day 4: Saturday 24 November Breakfast in the hotel. Drive to Vimy Ridge and visit the Canadian Memorial, and the underground tunnels tour return to Calais to catch Eurotunnel, followed by return to Wyke College. 2

3 Hotel Munchenhof, Langemark Our group will have its own annex in the impressive Munchenhof Hostel situated in the centre of Langemark in Belgium. As it is a hostel, small groups of boys and girls will share dormitories. There is a skittle alley among other activities on site. Our Tour Operator for this expedition will be Halsbury Travel. Their website is 3

4 Historical Sites to be Visited Listed below are the many historical sites to be visited and explored during the three days in Belgium. Please connect to the websites to discover more. There will be plenty of other things to see and do on the trip. Wellington Museum: People come from all over the world to find out about the events of 18th June This battle brought an end to the 22 years of war of the Revolution and of the Empire. From now on Europe would know a relative peace. In 1815, the former Bodenghien inn, a building dating from 1705 that now houses the Wellington Museum, was a coaching inn. This location was chosen by the British Army as headquarters for all the army staff. Website: In Flanders Fields Museum: Experience the living conditions in the trenches and the destructive power, waste and futility of war by touring the battlefields of the Ypres Salient and the Somme. Experience the events of the 1916 Battle of the Somme by following the Circuit of Remembrance, attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate, explore the interactive In 4

5 Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres and visit the British Dugout Experience and German trench system at the Passchendaele Museum. Housed in the former Cloth Hall in the historic heart of Ypres. In Flanders Fields is a perfect starting point for an exploration of the Ypres salient. This interactive museum combines artefacts with documentary film, audio-visual presentations and contemporary artwork to vividly portray the horror and brutality of the events of Visitors use their Poppy Bracelet to scan and read personal stories of those who lived during the War, which they can send to their address. An essential stop for even the shortest tour. Website: Even in the annals of the First World War, Passchendaele has become a byword for brutal, senseless slaughter. This newly-opened museum gives visitors an oversight of the battle fought here in 1917 and offers them a chance to descend into a replica British dugout, complete with bunks, communication posts and an operating theatre. Website: 5

6 Tyne Cot British Cemetery is within a kilometre of the farthest point in Belgium reached by the Allied forces, and is the largest military cemetery in the world with 11,908 graves. It takes its name from the German concrete bunkers, whose ruins still remain, which were thought by soldiers from the 50th Northumbrian division to look like Tyneside cottages. Website: 6

7 Essex Farm: Canadian doctor John MacRae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields at this dressing station, the remains of which can still be visited. At the nearby Essex Farm Cemetery, Rifleman Strudwick, at fifteen years of age the youngest British Soldier to be killed on the Western Front, is buried. We will also visit the preserved A.D.S. (Advanced Dressing Station) bunker in the west bank of the Ypres-Ijser canal at Essex Farm cemetery. Website: Somme 1916 Museum: From the 9th to the 16th centuries, the people of Albert, like many in the region, got used to hiding underground to avoid attacks from the invaders from Normandy and then Spain. During the First World War Albert became a British garrison town. It was from Albert that the doomed offensive on 1 July 1916 began. Later in 1918, at the time of the Ludendorff offensive, most of the town was be destroyed before it was retaken by the British. Only the Post Office remained standing. At the end of the war only 19 families remained. As the Second World War approached, to protect the civilian population and prevent a mass exodus, the mayor decided to build seven underground shelters. It is in the largest of these shelters (250 metres in length, running from the Basilica to the Public Park) that the Somme 7

8 Trench Museum/Somme 1916 is situated. The long corridor and the alcoves provide an authentic representation of life in the trenches. Website: Vimy Ridge: In April 1917, Canadian soldiers wrested control of the escarpment here in a brief but bloody battle. A striking monument, an interpretive centre and a section of preserved trenches commemorate them. Friendly, knowledgeable Canadian guides enliven tours of the battlefield and of the tunnels through the chalk that were so instrumental to victory. This is a highlight of any trip to the Somme. Website: Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel: website: 8

9 Thiepval Memorial to the Missing: The slaughter on the Somme wiped out a generation, and continues to cast a shadow on Britain s popular consciousness. This colossal brick structure records the names of 72,000 British soldiers whose bodies were never found. Website: Hill 62 Museum/Sanctuary Wood: Sanctuary Wood and its trench museum are today the most authentic and vivid portrayal of what is was like to live in the filth and mud of Flanders. The museum collection contains equipment removed from the battlefield in the vicinity. There is a room with many photographs on the walls and a large, rare collection of threedimensional photo images in viewing boxes. Website: 9

10 Last Post Ceremony, Menin Gate: Every evening since 1928 the Last Post has sounded at the Menin Gate at 20.00hrs in homage to the fallen British and Allied soldiers of the First World War. This poignant and moving service is attended by numerous visitors wishing to pay their respects each evening, and groups are permitted to perform as part of the service, either singing or playing two hymns. Hooge Crater Museum: Because of its unique valuable collections and the carefully renovated chapel in a peaceful setting, the 'Hooge Crater' Museum is one of the best private museums in the Ypres Salient, and plays an important role in the things worth seeing in the region. Website: 10

11 Student Comments on the Battlefield Tour 2017 Very enjoyable time. Met lots of new people and it definitely helped expand my understanding particularly with Waterloo. The tour is an unforgettable experience. Great time, very enjoyable. Would recommend to anyone. Great trip, lots of interesting experiences and a very full timetable for three days. Would highly recommend. Great experience, very interesting, helped in further understanding plenty to do over the three days, would recommend. Great trip and an unforgettable trip! Helped with the topics learnt in class and added to my knowledge learnt from lessons. 10/10 James. Really fun trip! Met some really great people and helped expand my knowledge. A fantastic trip which was both educational and enjoyable, it provided lots of information vital for the next year of the course but most importantly it was outstanding. Definitely recommend! Very enjoyable, extremely interesting and taught me lots about the different wars we study in a unique and intriguing way. Also, Belgium has great chocolate. Great trip really enjoyed it. So many interesting places. Met great people and had a lot of fun. Those 226 steps were a pain though. A trip that was both very enjoyable and educational. The visit enabled me to gain a better appreciation for WWI and Waterloo. Staff helped make the trip the best it could be. It was a very enjoyable trip, better than I expected. Expanded my knowledge on the Battle of Waterloo and WWI. Journey is a bit of a pain though, but worth it. Very interesting, educational, helpful and enjoyable. Enjoyed being able to visit many different cemeteries, battlefields and museums during the few days of the trip, and had a positive experience. 11

12 Decent trip, good laugh. Waterloo and Vimy Ridge were brilliant in particular. Improves further understanding and contextual knowledge. Most places were good didn t enjoy the first place on the Friday though. Loved every second of it! Learnt so much, especially Waterloo! Made loads of second year mates, so both socially and academically it advanced myself. Also James was a lovely guy! Great leader. Taught me a lot along with his padowan Andy who educates us. Furthermore mine and Andy s football chemistry was beautiful and allowed us to lay waste to the weaker and inferior opponents we faced. This also allowed our relationship to evolve past the bands of teacher/student to one built on foundations on mutual respect and the reciting of our Disney World experiences this ultimately lead to the blossoming friendship we have today. The trip was so much fun. The first thing we went to on Friday was not my cup of tea. I do think that next time the hotel needs better beds because I feared for my life that Tom would fall on me. James was the best person ever as a tour guide. Andy was amazing as well. Everything was pretty good and educational. 10/10 would Battlefield tour again. It was pretty wizard. The sites were very helpful and educational, gained a much deeper understanding on the battle of Waterloo. The trip was great, I enjoyed all of the places we visited, and all of the members of staff were great. It was good and helpful and provided context for next year and was a good laugh. The trip was very good, and most places were good apart from the first museum on the Waterloo day. 12