When visiting the sites of the First World War, two aspects always seem to stand out above all others.

The first is the sheer enormity of it all; this is emphasised by the monumental scale of the Thiepval Memorial or the Menin Gate, with 70,000 and 53,000 individuals commemorated respectively on each.

The second is the individual stories for, as it says in the Wellington Quarries in Arras, nobody fought the same war. Visiting sites such as Tyne Cot or La Targette French Military cemetery enabled this year’s Third Form to understand the scale, whilst hearing about individuals such as OBs Harold Hippisley and Hugh Baker highlighted the human suffering. Perhaps the most emotional moments were the finding of a relative’s grave, and we all joined with Kit, George and Alex in remembering with gratitude the lives of Charles Moody, Arthur Harris and David Baxter, just three of the 750,000 British dead but three (amongst others) with a special connection to our group this year.  

The picture shows Finn and Honor with the wreath they laid at the Menin Gate on Monday night.