History of Warfare

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Our history of warfare school trips are carefully designed to help students understand how warfare had changed and developed from the time of the Napoleonic Wars up to the end of WW2.

By visiting key destinations and having the opportunity to see for themselves the various equipment and technology used, as well as learn about the lives of the soldiers from contemporary accounts, students will develop their comprehension of the contexts in which these changes occurred.

These school history trips take in two or more locations specific to each period, such as Normandy and the Somme, and Waterloo, Ypres and Dunkirk, allowing students to draw direct comparisons between them.

Read more about History of Warfare trips for schools

History of warfare school trips to France

If you choose to visit France on your history of warfare school trip, you’ll have the opportunity to explore Normandy and the Somme. Here, your students will discover the development in technology and tactics between WW1 and WW2.

In the Somme, you’ll learn about trench warfare and the introduction of tanks. Your students will see how quickly technology developed during that war alone. And your students will experience the conditions that soldiers lived in while fighting in the trenches. They’ll develop their understanding of why trench warfare was so destructive and will see the huge scale of human life lost with visits to WW1 cemeteries.

They’ll then be able to compare what they’ve learned about WW1 with what they experience in Normandy as they learn about WW2. They’ll discover how technology advanced even further during WW2, as they explore the Mulberry Harbours used during the Normandy landings and the infamous Atlantic Wall built by the Germans along the French coast.

History of warfare school trips to France and Belgium

If you’d like your students to take in a broader time period, you may like to consider a history of warfare school trip to France and Belgium, taking in Waterloo, Ypres and Dunkirk.

In Waterloo, your students will explore how wars were fought in the early 19th century, when the Napoleonic Wars dominated Europe. They’ll learn about cavalries and infantries, and the development of small arms weapons, such as rifles which required minimal training, allowing for conscription.

In Ypres, they’ll explore how by WW1, warfare tended to rely on the use of field artillery to support trench-based troops, who were at constant risk of machine gun fire, gas attacks and, increasingly, the threat of aeroplanes.

And in Dunkirk, they’ll discover how WW2 marked a real shift to total war, with whole nations mobilised to support the war effort, such as during Operation Dynamo when small boats were sent to help evacuate Allied troops. And aerial bombing was now an important component, bringing the battlefield to civilians.

Why arrange a history of warfare school trip?

Let them experience the history

Students studying the history of warfare will love the opportunity to visit the scenes of battles that they’ve been studying, to learn more about the experience of the soldiers that fought in these wars and how their experiences changed as the technology and strategies developed.

This practical experience of history will help them to consolidate what you’ve been learning in the classroom and will really help them to recall the important information in exams.

It will also give them the opportunity to take their learning further by giving them time to contemplate why people have put so much energy into the development of warfare and whether any innovations or developments were for the good.

Encourage a passion for history

History is endlessly fascinating, but by getting out of the classroom and brining history to life, you’ll be giving your students the chance to see for themselves how exciting it can be.

On your history of warfare school trip, your students will have the opportunity to learn about real people’s experiences of war, reminding themselves that the events that they’re studying happened to real, ordinary people just like them.

They’ll be able to make connections between the historical events you’re studying and the wars that are happening in the world today. How has the development of warfare continued? What do these historical wars teach us about our present? Your history school trip will help them to see that studying history will develop their understanding of the world around them and this could really encourage a deep-rooted passion for history!

Enjoy the trip as much as your students

Originally founded by former teachers, we understand the value of history school trips and how to make them successful.

Your trip will be completely tailor made, to ensure that it meets your specific requirements and learning objectives. And we’ll be on hand throughout the process to answer any questions you have.

In fact, we’ll be with you every step of the way, from now until you return home at the end of your trip. While abroad, you’ll be able to reach us with just one phone call, at any time of the day or night. And, with this comprehensive level of support while you’re away, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy immersing yourself in history as much as your students.

Why Halsbury Education trips?

We build your trip around you

Tell us your learning objectives, curriculum and budget and we’ll do the rest.

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We’re trusted for a reason

We’re members of ABTA, ABTOT and the School Travel Forum. We also hold an ATOL and the LOtC Quality Badge.

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Our Education specialists

Laura Lucas

Tour Consultant

Tom Moorhouse

Tour Consultant

Gaynor Mayor

Education Sales & Product Manager

Laura Martin

Language Sales & Product Manager

Emma Gray da Silva

Tour Consultant

Lou Della Rocca

Tour Consultant

Gail Biggins

Tour Consultant

Judit Eleod

Tour Consultant

Paul Hudson

Tour Consultant

Michelle Hallam

Tour Consultant

Caroline Hill

Tour Consultant

Gayle Flude

Tour Consultant

Jodi Swift

Tour Consultant

Will Jehu

Tour Consultant

Vanessa Barbosa

Tour Consultant

Meet our education specialists and get to know more about the people committed to making your school trip the best it can be. 

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History of Warfare activities that your school group will love

Essex Farm

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Hooge Crater Museum

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

In Flanders Fields Museum

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

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

Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917

The museum commemorates the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, in which there were 500,000 casualties in 100 days in which

Tyne Cot British Cemetery

Within a kilometre of the farthest point in Belgium reached by the Allied forces lies the largest cemetery for Commonwealth

Wellington Museum

People come from all over the world to find out more about the events of 18th June 1815. This battle

Hill 62 Museum/Sanctuary Wood

Sanctuary Wood and its trench museum show an authentic and vivid portrayal of what is was like to live in

Thiepval Memorial to the Missing

The slaughter on the Somme wiped out a generation, and continues to cast a shadow on Britain’s popular consciousness. This

Arromanches Landings Museum

Built on the harbour at Arromanches overlooking Gold Beach, this museum uses original artifacts, dioramas and audio-visual presentations - including

Bayeux British Cemetery

The largest British military cemetery in France, this site on the outskirts of Bayeux is the last resting place of

Lochnagar Crater

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Gold Beach

Gold Beach was the Allied code name for the centre invasion beach during the invasion of Normandy on June 6,

Longues-sur-Mer Battery

Part of the infamous Atlantic Wall built by the Germans to protect the French coast, Longues sur Mer Battery could

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

Pegasus Bridge Museum

This museum tells the story of the airborne invasion, in particular the 6th Airborne Division's capture of this strategically vital

Somme 1916 Museum

From the ninth to the sixteenth centuries, the people of Albert, like many in the region, got used to hiding

Bellewaerde Park

Bellewaerde Park is Belgium’s oldest theme park. Built around an ancient castle, this theme park is located only 75 minutes

Leonidas Chocolate Shop

Hans and Stephanie are always happy to welcome you to their chocolate shop! Situated in the Grote Markt main square

Bayeux Tapestry

Justifiably famous as one of the most extraordinary artefacts to survive from the eleventh century, the Bayeux Tapestry is a

Mont Saint-Michel Abbey

The long history of Mont Saint-Michel is thought to date back to 708AD when Aubert, Bishop of Avranches had a

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