The Great War
As we approach the eve of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the ‘war to end all wars’, the passing of the last British veteran means the Great War has passed wholly into History.
"Thank you for the personal input and effort you made into helping my daughter find her ancestors while on the recent trip to Ypres with her school you went the extra mile for her (literally!) and really did make it a truly one-off, memorable trip"
— Parent of student at Sharnbrook Upper School
However such was the impact of this con?ictthat it continues to fascinate students of history.
Whether they are KS3 students exploring the reality of life in the trenches, GCSE students looking at the role of the British Army on the Western Front or AS students examining the changing nature of warfare, Anglia is able to create for you a programme which will directly support your classroom based teaching. Employing a range of learning techniques and adapting each presentation to meet the needs of your group Anglia is able to create a unique educational experience which will serve to inspire the students who travel with us.
There are a range of options for our Great War tours of which the following are only a small selection:
Suggested Itinerary
Fully guided
1-Day Somme or Ypres
2-Day Somme and Ypres
Day 1: Somme
Day 2: Ypres
3-Day Somme and Ypres
Day 1: Ypres
Day 2: Somme
Day 3: Ypres
Our Great War Tours
The Somme
The first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916 was the worst day in the history of the British Army.
It was to be the Big Push to win the war and it was to be the battle that would make the reputation of the Kitchener Armies. More >
Ypres Salient
The horror of the First World War can be summed up in two words ‘The Salient’.
This small and militarily insignificant Belgian town was to become the eye of the storm that raged around the few square miles of its perimeter. More >
Vimy Ridge & Arras
Vimy Ridge was a fortress, studded with concrete pillboxes, deep dugouts and trenches, festooned with barbed wire where machine guns covered the long slope up from the Allied lines in front of Arras.
Up to the spring of 1917 attempts to take the Ridge had cost the British and French armies over 190,000 casualties. More >
Christmas Truce
During more than 4 years of bitter fighting one event stood out as a beacon of humanity – the Christmas Truce of 1914, when amidst the carnage, for the first time the fighting stopped. More >
Cross-curricular tours
Please contact us to discuss how we can help you create a cross curricular tour, allowing more of your students to explore the First World War battlefields.
Western Front – History and Literature
Our most popular cross-curricular tours combine a study of the Great War on the Western Front with the literature it produced. From the works of Owen, Sassoon and other famous war poets, through the post-war autobiographical writings of those such Vera Brittain, Edmund Blunden and R. C. Sheriff, to the modern works of Pat Barker, Sebastian Faulks, Sebastian Barry and Ben Elton, these tours provide the perfect combination for History and English departments.
For younger students (Years 6-9), please contact us about our ‘Private Peaceful’ Tour, following the themes and characters of Michael Morpurgo’s immensely successful novel.
Western Front – History and Science
A visit to Ypres or the Somme allows students from History and Science departments to look at a range of subjects such as the development and use of chemical weapons on the Western Front and medical advances made during the Great War.
Western Front – History and Maths
Whether it be the statistical analysis of casualties by age, rank, and nationality; a consideration of trajectories and weight of fire; or calculating the tons of supplies required to keep an army in the field, there are numerous means of combining the disciplines of History and Maths on a tour of the Western Front.
Western Front – History and Geography
A tour of the battlefields of France or Flanders readily lends itself to consideration of terrain, the geology and topography of a landscape riven by war. This along with the study of contemporary and trench maps means it is ideal ground for students of both Geography and History.
Specifications/topics supported by these tours:
AQA Specification B > Britain at War
Edexcel Specification A
> War and the Transformation of
British Society 1903-1928
Key Topic 2 ‘The part played
by the British on the Western
Front’
> War and the Transformation of
British Society 1931-1951
> The impact of War on Britain
1914-1955
Edexcel Specification A and B > Northern Ireland 1968-1999
New ‘A’ level topics: AQA Unit 1 > France in Revolution, 1774-1815
OCR ‘A’, Option B, KS3: > Napoleon, France and Europe, 1795-1815
Themes
- Causes of the Great War
- The Western Front
- The ‘actualities of war’ – the experience of soldiers on the Western Front
- Kitchener’s Army – the Pals Battalions
- The relationship between Officers and men
- The development of warfare – tactics and technology in the Great War
- The role of the Generals, in particular the Haig Debate
- The impact of the Great War
Show & Tell Sessions
Each visitor to the battle?elds of France and Flanders tries to make sense of what it must have been like for the men who were actually there. Photographs, maps and testimonials help to build up a picture. To complete it, what could be better than to give your students a chance to get inside the mind of ‘Tommy Atkins’.
Utilising a range of period equipment and weaponry, including boots, tin hat, tunic, webbing and a Lee Enfield rife, Anglia is able to provide students travelling with us to the Ypres Salient and the Somme, with a unique hands-on experience. This engaging session led by your Anglia guide will include a short brief on the equipment on display as well as the chance for one lucky ‘volunteer’ to don full kit.
Not only does this make for a perfect photo opportunity, it is also ideal for kinaesthetic learners as it helps them get to grips with the history.
If you are interested in adding a 'Show & Tell' session to you Battlefield Tour or would like further information please contact us.
Great War – Living History
A guided tour to the battle?elds
of the Great War is undeniably the
best way for your students to begin
to grasp the scale and impact of
the con?ict.
But there is another means to bring the realities of trench warfare to life, particularly for larger groups or younger students who cannot travel out to France or Flanders.
How about inviting ‘Tommy Atkins’ to visit you at school and having him tell your students about his experience at the front. Each of Anglia’s ‘Living History’ days is led by one of our senior guides wearing fully authentic period uniform and carrying examples of Great War weaponry.
Covering subjects such as ‘Life at the Front’, ‘Trench Routine’ or ‘Going into Action’, your guide will encourage the students to ask questions and give them the chance to handle some of the equipment
