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Medicine In War School Trip To Ypres Request a quote
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Medicine In War School Trip To Ypres

An opportunity to learn about the types of injury, illness and medical care experienced in the British sector of the Western front during WWI.

BelgiumYpresSchool TripsHistory
Request a quote

Highlights

01

Hooge Crater Museum and Trench site

02

Hill 60, site of the Battle of Messines

03

Medicine in war guided tour following an evacuation line

04

Lijssenthoek Visitor Centre

Please contact us for a price
Schools - Normandy - Generic

Very helpful Tour Co-ordinator. Nothing was too much trouble when organising the tour which was essential for me to get it off the ground.

Archbishop Holgate's School

Suggested itinerary

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Depart school in your coach Channel Crossing to Calais. Journey time from Calais to Ypres 1 ½ hours approx without excursion stops Visit to the In Flanders Fields Museum, Essex Farm Cemetery, Langemark German Cemetery Arrive at your Ypres Salient accommodation - evening meal
Breakfast and packed lunch Full day guided tour, Hill 60, Railway Wood & Bellewaerde Ridge, Hooge Crater Museum & Trenches Railway Dug-outs Cemetery, White Mill Dressing Station, Brandhoek Clearing Station, Lijssenthoek Cemetery, Death Cells Poperinge, Talbot House Evening meal - attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate
Breakfast and packed lunch Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 & Tyne Cot Cemetery Channel Crossing Arrive at school

What's included*

All travel by British touring coach**
Return Channel Crossing
Accommodation, full board
Full day guide on day 2 focusing on Medicine
Insurance
1 teacher place for every 8 students
24/7 emergency support

*Please note, entrance fees where applicable are not included in typical price – contact us for more details

**Subject to EU driver’s hour regulations

Recommended excursions

01 In Flanders Fields Museum
02 Essex Farm Cemetery
03 Langemark Cemetery
04 Full Day Guided Tour Focusing on Medicine in War
05 Hill 60 & Caterpillar Crater
06 Hooge Crater Museum
07 Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery and Visitors Centre
08 Execution Site and Death Cells – Poperinge
09 Talbot House – Poperinge
10 Menin Gate and The Last Post Ceremony
11 Passchendaele Memorial Museum
12 Tyne Cot Military Cemetery
13 Bellewaerde Park
14 Bellewaerde Aquapark
01 In Flanders Fields Museum

This outstanding museum aims to preserve our connection with World War I through character-led experience and the story of the land. Exhibitions blend interactive installations with relics allowing students to explore history on a peer-related level. A permanent exhibit traces the invasion of Belgium with educational programmes to delve deeper into the war past.

1 - 2 hours See on map
02 Essex Farm Cemetery

Essex Farm was the site of an Advanced Dressing Station (ADS) and the land was appropriated as burial ground from October 1914 (First Battle of Ypres). Because of the nature of the medical outpost, very few burials are unidentified, although the cemetery layout tells of the unpredictable wave of life and death at the ADS. Original bunkers and shelters remain. Photo © R/DV/RS.

1 hour See on map
03 Langemark Cemetery

There are only four WWI German cemeteries in Flanders – the first German gas attacks happened in Langemark 1915 and over 44,000 soldiers are buried here. After the battle of France in 1940, troops withdrew to Dunkirk and Calais over these battlegrounds of World War I. Some casualties of 1940 are buried side by side with soldiers who fell not 30 years previous. Photo © Nick Townsend.

1 hour See on map
04 Full Day Guided Tour Focusing on Medicine in War

The tour takes a close look at the medical evacuation of wounded soldiers and developments in surgery and treatment. Explore how soldiers were picked-up by stretcher bearers to a Regimental Aid Post and how first aid was delivered. The route follows a series of Dressing Stations. Mental health issues such as shell shock are discussed at the Poperinge execution yard. The tour ends at Talbot House, a true heaven in hell.

Full day See on map
05 Hill 60 & Caterpillar Crater

60 metres above sea level, Hill 60 proved to be a sought-after vantage point during intense fighting in spring 1917. It was the site of the famous Battle of Messines and has been left mostly undisturbed since the end of WWI. A large bunker that was originally used by the German army can be found in a near-original state. Image by ViennaUK CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons.

30 mins See on map
06 Hooge Crater Museum

The Hooge Crater Museum offers an extensive collection of military artefacts, uniforms, photographs and life-size recreations of scenes from the war, and offers a great insight into life in the trenches. A medical class has also been established as an advanced dressing station where a guide can discuss the stages of medical evacuation, show medical equipment from the time complete with Ford T motor ambulance. The Hooge Crater Museum also has German and British trenches. Image by Amanda Slater (CC BY-SA 2.0).

2 hours See on map
07 Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery and Visitors Centre

Lijssenthoek was the site of the largest evacuation hospital in the Ypres Salient. It presents the story of medical assistance during WWI with a focus on the nearby field hospital and casualty clearing stations. Visitors can browse hospital diaries and listen to letters and witnesses through the walls. 10,784 people are buried in the military cemetery; a video calendar tells the story of one victim who died on each day.

1.5 hours See on map
08 Execution Site and Death Cells – Poperinge

The Poperinge Town Hall courtyard commemorates those who were shot at dawn as deserters. At least four British Soldiers are known to have been shot here out of a total of 69 in the Westhoek area. The death cells where the soldiers spent their last night can be visited. Image by LimoWreck, CC-BY-SA-3.0, from Wikimedia Commons.

See on map
9 Talbot House - Poperinge

Talbot House opened in 1915 as a soldier club and provided a home from home for the troops to relax and enjoy themselves away from the front line. Visitors can follow a digital tour of the house and its exhibits, and there is a Concert Hall, small chapel in the upper room, and an English Garden. Image by Chielbuseyne CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

1 hour See on map
10 Menin Gate and The Last Post Ceremony

This moving tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those who fell defending their town is an imperative experience for students connecting with WWI. Each night at 8pm the traffic stops around the Menin Gate memorial – six buglers from the fire brigade play the Last Post, Reveille and silence is upheld.

45mins See on map
11 Passchendaele Memorial Museum

An award-winning museum on the 1917 Battle of Passchendaele. Students can explore the underground museum and the Dugout Experience to gain an understanding of the life of soldiers underground during WWI. The tour continues outside in faithful reconstructions of British and German trenches.

2 hours See on map
12 Tyne Cot Military Cemetery

This is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world with around 11,954 soldiers resting here. The British Army captured the ridge where it is set in 1917, with a German blockhouse turned into an Advanced Dressing Station thus necessitating the burial ground. Fact: There are 8,367 unidentified graves at Tyne Cot, the headstones inscribed “Known Unto God”.

1- 2 hours See on map
13 Bellewaerde Park

With landscaped gardens and an ancient castle, Belgium’s oldest theme park is home to wildlife from big cats to capybaras, as well as thrilling rides such as the Screaming Eagle vertical drop tower. Water rides include the Niagara, which careers down the highest waterfall in Europe.

Tip: The Boomerang roller coaster travels at over 80km per hour.

Full day See on map
14 Bellewaerde Aquapark

Located next to the Bellewaerde Theme Park, the Bellewaerde Aquapark offers a variety of indoor themed water attractions including four water slides. With greenery, relaxation areas, an aquarium and a café/restaurant this is a good option for students to unwind following a day focussing on the very serious theme of war. Seasonal opening times.

2 hours See on map
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Typical accommodation

Image displaying the Menin Gate School Hotel
Menin Gate School Hotel See on map

Why groups like it:

Centrally located in Ypres next to the Menin Gate
Specialises in providing accommodation for student groups
Up to 55 beds with sole occupancy for groups of over 35 passengers

Facilities:

All rooms with full private facilities and Wifi
Games room with pool billiards table and drinks machine
Evening meals at local restaurants
Image displaying the Ypres Lodge
Ypres Lodge See on map

Why groups like it:

Purpose built for school parties
Free Wifi

Facilities:

Multi-bedded rooms all with full private facilities
Breakfast and dining rooms

Learning outcomes

Subject focus

Students can:

  • Understand more about the conditions endured by soldiers in World War I, trench warfare and its consequences.
  • Look at the technological advances in weaponry used in WW I and the type of injuries they caused and their treatment
  • Consider the impact of war on the advancement of medical treatments
  • Learn about the chain of evacuation’ – the chain of field posts having separate tasks e.g. assessing patients and dressing wounds en route to the hospital
  • Examine the effects of historical trends and events on ordinary people
  • Learn how people respond to traumatic events
  • Understand the influence of the Great War on later events

Student outcomes

Students will have had an opportunity to:

  • Gain a better understanding of the events and experiences of soldiers in World War I and trench warfare
  • Learn how this war was different to previous conflicts
  • Experience how a system was organised for treating casualties in the fields surrounding their trenches.
  • Understand the advances in medical treatments resulting from the Great War
  • Explore concepts of patriotism and citizenship and consider the quest for international peace
  • Gain a better understanding of the historical consequences of the war

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Tour School History Trip To The Ypres Battlefields

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