Day 1: Essex Farm, Langemark, Tyne Cot, Sanctuary Wood

Hello all! We've had a very busy day which has shown the boys a little bit about the style of warfare, but mostly about the scale of WWI.

They learned what it was like to be injured in the war, taken to a dressing station and operated on in less-than-sanitary conditions; how both the British Allies and the Germans commemorate their dead and, at Tyne Cot, they saw a fraction of how many lives were lost in the war, and learned that many thousands of soldiers are still of unknown location.

Finally, the boys visited Sanctuary Wood, or Hill 62. They were given a chance to explore the hundreds of WWI artefacts on show there, and experience moving around trenches and undulating ground for themselves.

Tonight, we will be at the Menin Gate. First, we will watch and listen to the Last Post, and then follow this with our own ceremony of remembrance; paying our respects and laying a wreath for the 155 Old Boys who gave their lives over the course of the war.