The Just War - Faith under Fire

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This tour focuses on the noncombatants who served in the Great War with courage and distinction, and look at the moral and ethical aspects of war that are often neglected.

How did these non-combatants grapple with matters of faith and conscience amidst the horrors of war?

On this Ypres-based tour we focus in depth on the hardships, dilemmas and daily challenges faced by the Padres who were deployed in support of troops on the Western Front, and link them and their role with recent conflicts, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Suggested Itineraries


One day
  • Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
  • Poperinghe - The Firing Post & life behind the lines
  • Brandhoek Military Cemetery NG Chavasse VC & Bar
  • Bayernwald Trench System  - living conditions of soldiers in wartime
  • The Irish Peace Tower  the multi faith Army.
  • Prowse Point   The Christmas Truce of 1914
  • The Menin Gate Remembrance

Two day
Day 1
  • Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
  • Bayernwald Trench System  - living conditions of soldiers in wartime
  • The Irish Peace Tower   - the multi faith Army
  • Messines Ridge - Rev'd Geoffrey Studdert-Kennedy MC – Woodbine Willy
  • Hill 60 - Courage and inner faith Woolley VC, Geary VC
  • The Menin Gate Remembrance

Day 2
  • Langemarck - the German Perspective
  • Essex Farm - the role of the RAMC
  • Brandhoek Military Cemetery NG Chavasse VC & Bar
  • Poperinghe - Talbot House; Military Executions & Life behind the lines

Themes

  • Multi-faith Army – then and now
  • The Just War theory
  • Courage and faith
  • Defeat and Revenge
  • Role of Padres in war then and now
  • Executions in WWI and Conscientious Objectors
  • Talbot House – respite

Cross-curricular tours

History and Citizenship

The link between history and citizenship training is an obvious one and in this section we feel that the study of morality, race and persecution, especially in recent times makes a visit to Auschwitz/Birkenau of huge importance.

Students need to fully understand that the lessons from the formula; PREJUDICE = DISCRIMINATION = PERSECUTION = EXTERMINATION teaches us as Edmund Burke said that “evil will triumph if good men do nothing”.

History and Religious Studies

Students studying the Holocaust can explore the reasons behind the inhumanity of mankind as well as the historically documented facts. Themes such as the Just War and multifaith ethics as well as human moral courage in the face of adversity can be explored.

Groups can compare the concept of the use of force between nations with the Christian and other faiths principles of peace, love and reconciliation.