Pupils' battlefields trip brings home war horror

Children from Bath have travelled to France and Belgium to learn more about their relatives who fought in the First World War.

Staff and pupils from Culverhay School visited war memorials and battlefields after researching their family connections to the conflict.

The group of 38 Year 10, 11 and 12 students and four staff went on a three-day trip to the areas of Ypres and the Somme, and discovered the names of family members recorded on the Menin Gate memorial.

They also attended the daily memorial ceremony at the gate in Ypres, where they found familiar names among the 54,000 recorded, and to remember the soldiers with no known graves.

Year 11 student Philip Durham, from Southdown, had researched his great-grandfather Sidney Ernest Edwin Hare, who was injured during the war.

The 15-year-old found information on the internet and spoke to his mum about where Sidney served and the medals he was awarded.

Philip said: "I didn't really think about people in the war before but when I was out in France it was very cold and very muddy and I could imagine what it would've been like."

His great-grandfather was only three years older than Philip is now when he enlisted, and Philip added: "I probably wouldn't have coped."

Philip researched the three medals his ancestor was awarded – the Mons Star, the British War Medal and the British Victory Medal – and learnt they are nicknamed Pip, Squeak and Wilfred.

Fellow Year 11 student Ben Brunides, from Odd Down, carried out research on his great-great-uncle William John Cassidy, who died in the conflict.

He looked on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website to find out where he fought and where he was buried.

Ben, 16, said: "I didn't know anything about him before I did this, but while we were in France I went to the place where he died, but didn't get to go to his cemetery.

"He enlisted when he was only 18 and died when he was 21."

Acting headteacher Sean Wyartt found his great-aunt's father's name commemorated on the Menin Gate and described the mood of his pupils as "sombre".

He said: "It is the number of names and the number of graves, the magnitude of it.

"When we were at the Menin Gate and the Last Post was playing, the mood was very sombre."

The popular school trip has been running for the past 10 years and often prompts pupils to carry out more research when they get home.

Trip organiser and head of history, Mike Muscat, said: "The students never fail to impress with their respect, interest and empathy which is why I run the trip so regularly and believe all students should visit these sites."