On Thursday 24 June we had a history day on our current topic of World War I. For the first half of the day we had a talk on World War I given by a representative of Anglia Tours.

He helped give us an insight into the lives of soldiers fighting in the war. With interesting

demonstrations and props it was fun and engaging to listen to. We learnt about the military training, weapons, food and even got to have a go at trying on the uniform and practising the drills. My favourite part was learning about medicine and healing in the trenches, a topic we had not previously covered in lessons. We learnt about the essential role of stretcher bearers in the war and how they risked their lives everyday out on the battlefield, many winning medals for their bravery. We even got to try out carrying one of the stretchers!

For the second half of the day we went to visit the Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey. It was astounding to see the number of graves in the cemetery, many of them were empire soldiers from around the world. We were told about the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and their role in ensuring the equal burial of all who died in the First and Second World War. We then went around to look further into some more personal stories. One was of a young boy, only 16 who had travelled over from Africa. He was too young to legally enlist in the army and especially to fight overseas; however he died on his way to fight. 

Another was of a stretcher bearer who had won the Victoria Cross for his efforts. Listening to the countless personal stories was fascinating and incredible. At the end we participated in a wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the soldiers and their sacrifice for us. 

Overall the trip was fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed looking further into the World War and was astounded by the sacrifices of men from all around the world.