Battlefields 2007
In October of this year, the 4th Dollar Pals Battalion, companies A and B went off to the World War One battlefields in France and Belgium.
Following in the footsteps of the Dollar FPs who fought and died in the Great War, the Pals Battalion left from the front steps of the Academy and made the same long journey to France. We travelled down to Dover overnight and embarked on to the Ferry that would take us across the channel and to war.
The first day was spent in the town of Bruges in Belgium where we looked around and took in the sights of the country we were going to be spending the next four nights in. Our hostel was near the sacred city of Ypres and was our base for the duration of the visit.
During the next few days, we visited places synonymous with World War One. Hill 60 and Sanctuary Wood were experienced on our first full day of the trip and made a great impression on everyone in the party.
We spent most of our third day at the Somme. We stopped at Beaumont Hamel at the Somme where we walked across no-mans-land. We also had a service of remembrance at the 51st Highland Division memorial just behind what was once the German front line. A minute’s silence followed by ‘Flowers of the Forest’ played on the pipes by members of our group made this a very powerful and emotional experience for all who were there.
Our last full day took us into both France and Belgium. We visited Passchendaele Ridge and Tyne Cot in the morning which will always be an unforgettable memory for those who were present. On our last afternoon we finally entered the sacred city of Ypres. After spending a few hours exploring the city itself, we arrived at 8pm at the Menin Gate for the Last Post ceremony which has been held at this same spot in Ypres every day since 1929. We then returned an hour later to have our own private Dollar Academy service with several readings, a minute’s silence followed by piping. It was a very emotional and special end to a trip that unquestionably changed all who went on it and has given all pupils an entirely new appreciation of the Great War.
By Fraser Stewart and Sarah Silk (Form IV)
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