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Recent Events
The History Trip To The London Dungeon and the HMS Belfast 2003
On Friday 6th June, about 30 year eight students attended a history trip to the London Dungeon and the HMS Belfast. We were chosen because of our progress in history throughout this year, so I was pleased to have been chosen. We set off after registration, on what was quite a hot day. We got on the train and off it and back on another train, and, after quite a short journey, we arrived at London Bridge, the station for London Dungeon. By this point, everyone was quite nervous. I wasn’t in the least bit scared, after all, what was there to worry about? What a fool I was!
We eventually got inside! People shivering, gripping onto their friends, wishing that they were no good at history, but it was too late- once we were in, we were in!
A man with make up and a look that suggested that he would rather be elsewhere greeted us. We had a photo taken, and then we were in! We saw wax works and skeletons rattling cages shocked us, but we didn’t know the kind of scare we were in for yet!
Then, a scary woman with white hair, gruesome make- up and a frightening look about her, appeared. I looked ahead of me to see cameras and a big, bright light. Not knowing what was going on, I asked what was happening. I got the response “X Change are here doing a feature about the plague, and we’re going to be on it!” We were going to be on a children’s television show and we were all screaming and hiding! Throughout the journey through the middle ages, we were squirted with water, sentenced to be shot in the head because of our terrible singing, given a ride of a lifetime and we even met Jack the Ripper! Eventually it was time to leave! Thank God! I was happy with the little gift shop at the end! What a trip! People had cried, screamed and wanted to leave. After lunch, we had a tour of the HMS Belfast, a ship used in World War II against the English’s enemies, the Germans. I think that the television cameras must have been following us, because a stunt for a film was being filmed aboard the ship! We saw the places where the ship was controlled from, we had an adventure climbing up the steep steps aboard the ship, we saw the chapel, the medical room, the kitchen, the boiler room, the large, and I’m guessing, heavy guns that they used. It was a big ship and what a great experience!
On the train ride home, we all talked about what a day we had. What an experience or two! I left the trip with the knowledge of what life was like during the plague, the great fire of London, the attack of Jack the Ripper, World War II and I have now learned what it feels like to be scared out of my mind!
The History Trip to Ypres
The trip to Belgium was a delightful experience, filled with all different aspects about World War 1. We saw enough gravestones to last us a lifetime, which may leave you wanting to be cremated, but it did give us an insight on just how terrible the effects of the Great war were! We also went to see some real trenches, which some of us actually had a go of, just like the real soldiers back in the day, it was smelly but fun in it’s own way.
Then we went on to go to an old chapel/pub called TOC-H (Talbert house-named after a soldier that died), where we listened to an incredibly enthusiastic English speaking Belgian man, who told us some little stories about old soldiers coming back to visit their roots! Then after all that energy consuming adventure, it was time for a refill, which we spent in a little restaurant in Ypres with our friends, no-family and best of all, plenty of chicken and chips. This was replenishing us for even more trials and tribulations, which now takes us to the sunny, picturesque, WW1 village of Ypres Centre.
Then last but not least we watched an actual memorial service that is held everyday commemorating the brave soldiers that died fighting for their country, the ‘Last Post’ was played and there were soldiers marching. We then jumped on the coach and watched the film Beethoven on the way home.
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