Some reactions and reflections from teenagers post Battle of Somme site visit:
"l'll be honest, before I went to France I wasn't that interested in WWI. It seemed like just another boring, pointless war from the lessons I'd had for years in class. But after visiting the towns that were impacted, hearing stories of the soldiers and being shown around the Somme, with the white graveyards scattered every few hundred metres, it completely opened my eyes to how real and destructive the First World War really was. Laying flowers on the graves of commonwealth soldiers in Evreux, also really reminded me of the immense sacrifices these young men had made. After returning to NZ, I saw my church, St Augustines, had an exhibition on the stories of soldiers who had fought and died during WWI. After reading a few, I came across a soldier who had fought at the Somme, died in the Longueval area and was buried in the Delville Wood cemetery. I felt really privileged to have been to the area where he had fought, walked in that wood, visited the NZ Longueval memorial; not many people get to do something as special as that." Alexandra L- (year 11)
"For me the tour around the battlefields of the Battle of the Somme was a highlight. I found it really enjoyable and surreal looking around and seeing the area where the men fought during the war. I found the South African memorial garden particularly moving and beautiful as the bluebells had flowered. I enjoyed learning about the Red Cross in Evreux and found putting the roses on the grave very moving and special." Ashleigh B- (year 11)
"For me the museum of the First World War really gave me an insight of how it must have felt being a soldier in this war. The long walk through the museum and the way it had a tunnel underground really gave the whole war feel. The Caterpillar Valley cemetery also was really overwhelming: just being there with the graves of the soldiers and many of which were New Zealand soldiers. Seeing all the white crosses really shows how so many people lost their lives to war, its a shame war is still going on to this day. The whole experience was really mind opening and showed me how people waste so many lives and time fighting against countries and religions. Elena P- (year 11)
"I thought it was an amazing experience getting to see the actual graves of a lot of the soldiers at the Caterpillar Valley and seeing first hand the amount of people that lost their lives for us. It was also surreal to walk the same path that some of the soldiers walked. The museum was also a stand out of the trip - reading some of the letters that soldiers sent to their families was incredibly emotional and moving. I enjoyed seeing equipment/gear used in the war when we were at the school in Evreux and also putting roses on the graves was something that I will remember for a long time." Sophia P- (year 12)
"I thought seeing the big white grave yards was incredible as it made the whole battle so surreal. It was also interesting to see the amount of New Zealand soldiers who had died in battle and was mind blowing to also see a tree that had been standing since World War One and still had bullet marks on it." Lara S (year 12)
"Going to the battle fields and the Carrière Wellington was incredible as it really showed me what life would have been like for soldiers and the horrible suffering they endured for our freedom. The fact about it being so cold that they couldn't feel when rats were eating their noses/faces was horrible to hear, and everything that I've ever learnt in class was suddenly so much more real. Seeing how many graves there were in the Caterpillar valley cemetery was chilling, knowing that it was one of hundreds of cemeteries around France and Europe with that many graves or more. It saddens me knowing that those graves with 'known unto God' written on them belong to men and women whose families will never know what happened to them, and who will have never had full closure. The whole experience was incredibly enriching and expanded my world view for sure." Hannah M- (year 12)
"I thought the tour around the battlefield was an incredible and surreal experience as I got to see up close where the soldiers fought. The WW1 museum was very interesting as I was able to read facts about the war and see a visual presentation of it. The Caterpillar Valley cemetery was very moving, especially to see so many New Zealand soldiers. Overall, it was an eye-opening experience which made me reflect on the soldiers lives and my perspective on things." Ellen O'M- (year 11)
"I thought that going through the trenches where the battle of the Somme was, was fascinating. To go around a place that had people 100 years ago fighting for their country was really thought-provoking. I also thought that the museum was really cool as there were a lot of pieces about New Zealand and Australian men fighting in WW1" Aimee T-(year 12)
