Thiepval

The Thiepval Memorial in the Somme.

The Somme Department holds records of 410 British Cemetaries relating to deaths of British Armed Personnel during World War 1.

150, 000 British (and British Empire) soldiers lost their lives before 21st March 1918 in the Somme region. 84000 of them have no known grave - they are known as the "Missing of the Somme" In order that they received equal commemoration, the names of the majority of the missing are inscribed on a number of memorials. The majority, 72205 are engraved upon the Thiepval memorial. 300000 French soldiers were also declared missing.

Ofthe 72205, 90% of them died over the 141 days of fighting which is now known as the Battle of the Somme. 12000 of these soldiers died/went missing on one day - 1st July 1916.

The age range of these men was 15 to 53, with the average age being 25 years old.

The region is now largely rolling fields and an area of great tranquilility. The former battlefield, so churned by artillery fire and repeated, successive attacks, still retains the remains of so many, sometimes unearthed in these modern times.

The children responded appropriately to this location and whilst in the visitor centre we had some interesting, in depth conversations with them, where they were clearly interested in the scale, the politics and the absolute horror of the war. I was pleased with them that they conducted themselves with appropriate decorum but also that they were able to engage with it and to relate it to the things that they have learned through their history and English lessons.

In the memorial itself and in the cemetary, the students were engrossed in finding their own surname engraved on the walls or the headstones, and where there were no names they looked for the Lancashire regiment soldiers who were unnamed.

It was an eerie, but tranquil place that most definite felt like it retained the sense of scale from the events that occurred in the region.

We are now home, and aside from one or two situations that will be resolved over the next few days, the trip was a great success. I am very proud of our students, who were a real credit to us, the school and more importantly, to themselves. I have had the opportunity to get to know so many of them so much more than the day to day activities at school allow. Maturity and positive attitudes, banter and good humour - those will be the things that I will remember from this trip.

Now, I just need the room to stop swaying like I am still on the ferry! Inner ear problems again - this happened last year.

Sunday Night = BBC1, 11.55pm....Sky at Night....