I can almost hear the old sage instructing the young: “Save the best till last and quit while you’re winning!” This year’s History trip was (from my point of view) the easiest of them all, the lucky thirteenth! We organised visits based on our experience in 1999 when the department had last based a trip on Luxemburg and this helped a lot in avoiding any time wasting delays. Going in June also avoided a repeat of the snow shower we’d had the last time during lunch at Fort Douaumont! The pupils who came this time, thirty four in total, were so well behaved that I actually relaxed and smiled at least twice, some would say that that was a record in itself!
What did we do on the trip? As always we attempted to combine a social experience, cultural visits and an overt exposure to Historical sites and events. The mix wasn’t fortuitous: it was planned. Planned in order to allow the pupils time to absorb the places they visited and planned in order to allow them to relax amidst some fairly sobering and deep-thinking experiences.
Our first port of call was the university town of Durham en route to the ferry at Hull. On then to the site of the battle of Waterloo south of Brussels. There the pupils exercised by climbing the many steps to the top of the Butte de Lion, a viewpoint which allows one to see the whole site. A very pleasant surprise awaited us when we drew into Luxemburg city and found our way to the Youth Hostel. The one we had last stayed at was gone and in its place stood a shiny new one, one which was excellent in all respects. It was like staying at a pleasant hotel. A definite plus and full of the international atmosphere of the World Cup.
Over the next days we explored the military history of both the First World War (at Verdun) and the Second World War (at Diekirch and the Battle of the Bulge). We spend quite a lot of time underground exploring Fort Fermont (one of the Maginot Line fortifications), Fort Douaumont at Verdun and Caves St Martin, where one of our party was sufficiently old and sufficiently thirsty to be gifted a pleasing share of unwanted sups of Luxemburg “Champagne”! A boat trip on the Moselle and free time in Trier, Luxemburg city and York all helped to give the pupils the impression that Big Brother wasn’t really there at all.
The visits did have their serious side too since we visited a number of military cemeteries, French, American and German. These places always have an atmosphere all their own and it is interesting to see how the different nations honour their military dead. It is also a maturing experience for those who study history in the classroom and often have understandable difficulty in linking textbook history with reality.
All trips have to come to an end and ours did with an enjoyable disco on the ferry and a spell in lovely York.
So, for me that’s was it. I can now wrap up the Trip diary for good. An especial thanks to everyone who helped this year, Mrs Tait, Mr Merson and Mrs Brown. They were ideal companions on such a venture and I couldn’t have wanted for sounder support. Thanks! Thanks too to all of you and above all thanks to the pupils who made the trip so enjoyable, so peaceful and so happily memorable.
Finally a big thank you to all the staff, past and present, who gave of their time either in accompanying History trips or in covering classes for those of us fortunate enough to be on Day Release. The experiences which our 468 pupils packed away over the last years were worth the effort and will certainly give me plenty of fond memories to warm the “Golden years”! Thanks!
