Starting in Devonshire Cemetery, we learned about the men of the 8th and 9th Devonshire Regiments that went 'over the top' on 1 July 1916. This cemetery is unique in that it marks the spot of the frontline trench from which they launched their campaign--the soldiers' remains were returned to their trench for burial. Additionally, only two of the 163 graves are not of Devonshire men, another unique feature of our first stop. One of the Devonshire regiment was the famous war poet, W. N. Hodgson, whose poem 'Before Action' we read aloud by his grave. It was written on 28 June,1916, just two days before he was killed with his regiment.
Our next stop was to the German Military Cemetery near Fricourt, where the students made note of the differences between German and British cemeteries in their activities booklets. We also learned about the Red Baron, who was originally buried here before his remains were removed later.
After two cemeteries, we moved on to memorials, starting with the one dedicated to the 36th Ulster Division. The Ulster Memorial Tower is a replica of Helen's Tower at Clandeboye, County Down and stands as a testament to the contributions made in helping to take Thiepval.
We moved next to the main memorial at Thiepval, the largest to missing British soldiers on the Somme. Here the students were giving the task of using the registers to find the names and locations of six OOs on the memorial, which they then had to spot engraved into the stone of the memorial itself. Among over 72,000 names, this was quite the task.
Our final stop of the morning was to the British Cemetery at Ancre, to honor OO L.J.A. 'Jack' Dewar with a graveside service. There were readings, the laying of an Oakham wreath, and a 'Last Post' tribute.
It was a fitting end to a morning packed with solemn remembrance.
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