On Thursday 8th November, Y6 children from Alton Convent School braved the cold and walked from Anstey Lane to the Curtis Museum to find out more about the effects that the war had on the town. The walk was led by Tony Cross, the Curator of the Museum. He shared his profound knowledge of the area, encouraging the children to look at evidence around them to learn more about the past. Many houses still have air raid shelters in their gardens. Now used mainly for storage, Mr Cross pointed out their original use during nightly air raids. The children were amazed to learn that complete families would spend night after night sleeping in such a small area. Bomb damage was evident in Eastbrooke Road where the 1930s housing had been replaced by more modern bungalows. Photos taken in 1940 showed what the road looked like before and after the Blitz.

After this, the children made a solemn visit to the cemetery. In respectful silence, they looked at the graves of people who had fought in the war. These gravestones stood out amongst the others as they were white and all faced east.

Before they returned to school, the children visited the Curtis Museum where they were shown items that had been used in the war such as gas masks and helmets. They also had the opportunity to look at pictures and items from the 1930’s and compare them with the present day. Tony wound up an old air raid siren to signal the end of our visit. We gathered in the entrance to the museum ready to walk back to school. During a week of remembrance, it was a fitting way to remember those who had given up their lives for us. Year 6 certainly learnt a lot from their visit and would like to thank Mr Cross for such an interesting morning.

Over the course of the week, the Year 6 prefects, with their Senior School counterparts, have been collecting for the Royal British Legion's annual Poppy Appeal, and Friday's assemblies in the Prep and Senior Schools included Acts of Remembrance in anticipation of Remembrance Sunday.