History trip to Normandy
This half Term, the History Department took a group of 36 Year 9s, 10s and 11s to visit sites associated with D-Day and the subsequent invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord) in 1944, 80 years ago. Day one involved exploration of Caen, the historic capital of Normandy and the principal objective of British and Canadian forces during the early phase of the campaign.
Day two involved an exploration of the battlefields south of Caen including Hill 112 where men from Somerset fought valiantly as part of the 43rd Wessex Division and the Borguebus Ridge, scene of the British Army’s greatest ever tank attack. The group finished the day visiting the grave of an Old Wellensian, Leslie Dowell, who was killed on the last day of the Overlord Campaign.
Day three focussed on the D-Day beaches. Among the sites explored were the remains of the artificial ‘Mulberry’ Harbour at Arromanches, the British ‘Gold’ Beach and the infamous Amercian ‘Omaha’ Beach made famous by the film Saving Private Ryan. In both cases there were pupils on the trip whose great-grandfathers had been directly involved. Day four involved a visit to the historic city of Bayeaux where the group paid their respects at the largest British cemetery, and once again a pupil in the group was directly related to one of those commemorated. The trip finished by visiting the vivid and moving museum of the American airborne forces at St Mere Eglise before departing back to Britain via Cherbourg.
This was a thoroughly poignant trip, all the more so given this may well be the last School trip to the Normandy battlefields within the lifetime of those who fought there. We must never forget.
Day two involved an exploration of the battlefields south of Caen including Hill 112 where men from Somerset fought valiantly as part of the 43rd Wessex Division and the Borguebus Ridge, scene of the British Army’s greatest ever tank attack. The group finished the day visiting the grave of an Old Wellensian, Leslie Dowell, who was killed on the last day of the Overlord Campaign.
Day three focussed on the D-Day beaches. Among the sites explored were the remains of the artificial ‘Mulberry’ Harbour at Arromanches, the British ‘Gold’ Beach and the infamous Amercian ‘Omaha’ Beach made famous by the film Saving Private Ryan. In both cases there were pupils on the trip whose great-grandfathers had been directly involved. Day four involved a visit to the historic city of Bayeaux where the group paid their respects at the largest British cemetery, and once again a pupil in the group was directly related to one of those commemorated. The trip finished by visiting the vivid and moving museum of the American airborne forces at St Mere Eglise before departing back to Britain via Cherbourg.
This was a thoroughly poignant trip, all the more so given this may well be the last School trip to the Normandy battlefields within the lifetime of those who fought there. We must never forget.
