29/04/24, 7.05am, CEST

WAKE UP CALL: Military style! What a way to start the day. Check back later on to see what we get up to today! Our young people are in great spirits and the sun is shining ☀️

29/04/24, 8.38pm, CEST

Pool of Peace – Our first stop on day 3 was the Pool of Peace. This crater 120m wide and 12m deep seems tranquil but masks the devastation caused by the detonation of 19 mines, killing thousands of German soldiers.

Messines – Our next stop was the church of Sint-Niklaaskerk in the town of Mesen. We climbed the bell tower which local resident Albert Ghekiere had worked tirelessly to restore. We then went down to the church crypt, which had been used as dressing station during WW1. A young German soldier by the name of Adolf Hitler had been treated here in 1917. Certainly an eerie moment for our young people.

Sanctuary Wood/Hill – We moved on to Sanctuary Wood, got our wellies on, and dived (not literally) into the actual trenches from WW1. We followed the trenches and underground tunnels and learned the tactics that went on during trench warfare.

Menin Road – Steve (our navigation officer) drove us down the important Menin road. It took us 4 minutes to travel, in WW1 it took 4 years!

Hill 60 – We finished our day at Hill 60 and seen how close the Allied and German front lines were to each other. Some pupils crawled into a WW1 pillbox and we managed to squeeze 31 people into an underground bunker (a new record apparently).

Back at the accommodation now for some dinner and some deserved R+R.

P.S.

Flemish Stew for dinner – Initial reaction was “ahm no’ eatin’ tha’” soon turned to “tha’s actually quite gid…like steak pie wi’oot the pastry”