WW1 Medical Aid School Trip to Ypres

Are you looking for a school trip that brings to life the advancements in medicine during WW1?

This trip to the WW1 battlefields around Ypres focuses on the journey of a WW1 soldier. On the first day, your group will travel to Ypres to learn about what he would have experienced on the frontline. And you will visit the graves of soldiers, both Commonwealth and German, to learn how many fell and now rest on those frontlines.

On day 2, your students will learn about the Battle of Arras, with visits to Vimy Ridge to see the trenches and Wellington Quarry to enjoy a guided tour of the tunnels there. The day will end poignantly with your group invited to attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate.

On day 3, you will follow a soldier’s evacuation route from the frontline to an advanced dressing station, on to a casualty clearing station and then back to the UK.

By following this journey, your students will experience how conditions on the Western Front revolutionised medicine and surgery and how these advancements are still important in modern-day medicine.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Coach departs from school

Channel crossing

Afternoon

Arrive in Calais

Drive to Zonnebeke

Visit the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 for the British Dugout and German Trench Experience

Visit Tyne Cot British Cemetery

Visit Langemark German Cemetery

Evening

Check in to accommodation

Evening meal

Day 2

Morning

Breakfast at accommodation

Drive to Arras

Stop at Vimy Ridge to visit the monument and the trenches

Visit to Notre Dame de Lorette French Cemetery and Memorial

Afternoon

Visit to Wellington Quarry for a guided tour of the tunnels

Evening

Evening meal at accommodation

Visit to the Menin Gate for the Last Post Ceremony

Day 3

Morning

Breakfast at accommodation

Visit to the Hooge Crater Museum where your group can visit the medical evacuation exhibition

Visit to the advanced dressing station at Essex Farm

Visit to Brandhoek Cemetery, field ambulance post

Afternoon

Group to visit the death cells and shooting post in Poperinge followed by Lijssenthoek cemetery, former casualty clearing station

Drive the route from Lijssenthoek to Hazebrock and then across to St Omer past Wallon-Cappel, which is the original trainline that brought supplies to and soldiers to the frontline and took the injured back to the UK

Arrive in Calais

Evening

Channel crossing

Arrive in Dover and return to school

2 night's half-board hostel accommodation with students in multibedded rooms and staff in twins/singles
Access to the Vamoos app to download all tour-related travel documents
Free itinerary planning service
Free staff place ratio 1:8
Detailed information pack
Motorway tolls and taxes
Return executive coach travel
Return Channel crossings
VAT at current rates to tour operators

Curriculum

A Level

Developments in British warfare
Life in wartime Britain
Life in the trenches
Challenges of German nationalism

GCSE

History of medicine
Conflict and tension: WW1
Developments in British warfare
Life in wartime Britain
The Western Front
Medicine in Britain

Key Stage 3

Challenges for Europe and the wider world, 1901

Primary

British history beyond 1066

Accommodation

Hotel Menin Gate

This former textile factory provides a brilliant base for groups visiting the battlefields and is located 100m away from the Market Square in Ypres town centre. Students will be accommodated in multi-bedded rooms, and staff in twins or singles (supplement may apply). All rooms are en-suite, and with a group size of 35 or more, you will have sole occupancy of the premises. Breakfast is served on site, and evening meals are taken at a nice restaurant in the town centre just two minutes' walk away. Packed lunches are available on request. Facilities include a PA intercom system, recreational room with TV, pool table, pinball machines, table football, free WiFi throughout, a large garden, and a staff room with minibar and digital TV.

Munchenhof Hotel

This school group hotel consists of 2 purpose-built annexes. Facilities include free WiFi in the reception area, pool tables, table tennis, TV lounge, football pitch, table football and a basketball court. All bedrooms are en-suite. The hotel has a self-service restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and evening meals. There is a swipe card system to gain entry to floors, rooms and lifts for extra security.

Ypres Lodge

Ypres Lodge is one of the top choice hotels for school groups travelling to the battlefields. It consists of 3 wings; all rooms are en-suite and have televisions. Students are in multi-bedded rooms while staff are provided with twins.Breakfast is served every day, and both packed lunches and the evening meal are available on request from the hotel's on-site restaurant.Hotel facilities free WiFi, pool tables, football pitch, table football, vending machines, karaoke facilities (on request) and a meeting room for group activities. There is also a bar for group leaders to relax in during the evening.

The Poppies 1 (Menin Gate)

Once an inter-war pension for British soldiers, the Poppies School Hotel is now a popular choice amongst school groups visiting the battlefields of the Western Front. Students will be accommodated in multi-bedded rooms, staff in twins or singles (single supplement applies). All rooms are en-suite and the hotel operates on a sole occupancy basis.The hotel serves breakfast every day, but the evening meal is taken at a local restaurant in the town centre. Packed lunches are available on request.Facilities include a PA intercom system, lounge and recreational room with TV, pinball machine, table football, pool table, 5 internet computers and an extensive courtyard.

The Poppies 2 (Menin Gate)

The Poppies 2 (Menin Gate) is ideally located in the centre of Ypres. The hostel can accommodate up to 59 people, with a minimum group size of 25 and sole-occupancy available for groups of 40 or more. All rooms feature single or bunk beds, with each room sleeping 1-12. All guestrooms feature private bathroom facilities and WiFi is available throughout the property. There's a games room and a projector and screen are available on request. For larger groups of up to 129, Poppies 2 can be booked alongside Poppies 1.

Educational Activities

Essex Farm

John McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' remains, to this day, one of the most memorable war poems ever written.

In Flanders Fields Museum

School group visiting the In Flanders Field museum

This interactive museum mixes artefacts with documentary film, audio-visual presentations and contemporary artwork to vividly portray the horror and brutality of the events of 1914-1918.

Last Post Ceremony, Menin Gate

Every evening since 1928 the Last Post has sounded at the Menin Gate at 20:00 in homage to the fallen British and Allied soldiers of World War I.

Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917

Commemorating the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, this museum contains fascinating exhibitions and interactive experiences of life in the trenches.

Tyne Cot British Cemetery

Take your students to the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world, and let them reflect on the sheer number of lives lost.

Vimy Ridge

At Vimy Ridge, a striking monument, an interpretive centre and a section of preserved trenches commemorate the Canadian soldiers who wrestled control of the escarpment in a brief but bloody battle in April 1917.

Hooge Crater Museum

On the site where some of the fiercest battles were fought is the 'Hooge Crater' Museum 1914-1918, one of the

Newfoundland Memorial Park, Beaumont-Hamel

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, eight hundred men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment went over the top here – only 68 returned.

Somme 1916 Museum

A unique underground museum where students will learn about the lives of soldiers on the frontline of WW1.

Thiepval Memorial to the Missing

This colossal brick structure records the names of 72,000 British soldiers whose bodies were never found.

Wellington Quarry

Beneath the streets of Arras lie impressive chalk quarries which date back to the Middle Ages.

Cultural Activities

Leonidas Chocolate Shop

Situated in the main square in Ypres, Leonidas Chocolate Shop is a popular choice for some light relief and delicious Belgian chocolates.

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.