P7m went to the Bathgate Partnership Centre to see what it was like in World War 1 as a soldier. We went to the library to meet Cybil. The class was then split in to two groups, and one group went outside to see the trenches and the other group looked at the display and answered questions about World War 1.

Mya – I thought the trenches were interesting.

Laura – The tour was very good because it was full of facts that I didn’t know

Chloe – I enjoyed going through the trenches and looking at the food the soldiers would have eaten and the helmets.

Caitlin – I enjoyed looking at the bed and thought it was interesting that it would have been for two people in such a small space. Although I might have liked that it was small because it would have been cold.

Kieran – I enjoyed looking at the photographs and answering questions and found it interesting using morse code.

Findley – I found it fascinating when we were in the trenches and we learned about going over the top. We were told that if the soldiers looked over they might have got shot.

Melissa – I found it intriguing that they would have lived for so long in such a crammed place and also the technology they would have used. We found out how they would have heated their food and the tablets that helped them.

Liam – I was amazed to find out how they lived in such a small space.

Lewis – I liked looking at the photos and learned what the West Lothian batalian was called. They were called the Dandy Ninth.

Alex – I enjoyed learning about the helmets. We learned that after a couple of years the metal helmets were used which would protect a soldier from a bullet and bombs.

Andrew – The trenches were built by 16 year old apprentice joiners from West Lothian College.

Amanda – I think it was disgusting how they got Trench Foot. The soldiers got it because their feet were in water for days. They might have to get it amputated.

Rachel – I learned that there were little holes in the sand bags that would have been made in to bedrooms. I also learned that they would heat their food using a gel that they would heat up. You could buy the gel in Boots.

Aidan – I learned about the medical place where the doctor would be helping soldiers that got brought in.

Cameron – We got told that if a bomb was thrown in the trench then the zig zags of the trench would help save people. I thought that was interesting.

Adam – I enjoyed looking at the photos. The picture of the Trench Foot was gross!

Nathan – I liked trying on the helmets.

Jamie – I learned that the soldiers made a hole in a bench and go to the toilet. They tried to get rid of the smell by covering it with dirt. If they were lucky they would have been sent sheets of toilet tissue and if not might have used old letters or pages from a book.

Luke – I learned that they used wooden guns to train

Billy – I enjoyed going to try the helmets on and I enjoyed learning how small the bedrooms would have been.

Brydon – I learned that the trenches were zig zagged so the blasts wouldn’t kill or injure as many people.

Cameron – The soldiers named parts of the trenches so that they could communicate where they wanted to go.