During the first few days of the holiday members of the Middle School visited the battlefields of the Ypres salient and the Somme. The official guides steered the group informatively across fields, around mine craters, through restored trench systems and into museums, and brought to life the heroism and horrors of war at cemeteries and memorials. They imparted a wealth of historical detail which not only did much to boost the knowledge of boys preparing for GCSE but also brought home the futility and human cost of conflict. The boys laid a wreath at the Menin Gate at a Last Post ceremony and stored up many powerful memories to return home with (as well as large quantities of Belgian chocolate!)