Girls from the IIIrd year at Alton Convent School took part in a highly successful trip to the WWI battlefields of the Somme and Ypres as part of their History course looking at the First World War. Students had the opportunity to walk in preserved trenches, visit the graves of fallen relatives and take a leading part in the Last Post Memorial Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres. The 3 day trip enabled students to gain some understanding about conditions in the trenches of the Western Front and come to terms with the scale of destruction wrought by conflict. Pupils were visibly effected by comparing British, French and German cemeteries and will use the information gathered to help them put together individual projects when they return back to school. On a lighter note, girls had the opportunity to indulge themselves by chocolate shopping in the famous Belgian chocolate shops.

(More photos...)