Taylorian

TAYLORIAN 2024

43

‘Sunken Lane’ where the Lancashire Fusiliers were filmed (another first) waiting for the attack. The lane has not changed at all, and so we were literally following in the footsteps of our ancestors. It is not always easy to make sense of the Somme – its scale makes it hard to take in and it is in the following weeks and months that boys reflect on their experiences. This is helped by the moving poetry carefully selected by Mr Manley and included in the guidebook issued to all the boys. Some of it was written by those whose graves we visited, such as William Hodgson, buried at Mansell Copse. Others were inspired by the sites we stood in – ‘Mametz Wood’ by Owen Sheers is a personal favourite. So, after over thirty years, I said goodbye to the battlefields as a teacher. I have lost count of the number of teachers who have been on the trip since 1992, but I would like to thank Mr Hale for his tireless work leading this year’s, and James Manley and Rollo Hesketh who were excellent company throughout, and whose knowledge enriched the experience for the boys. The pupils were also magnificent: I learned so much from them as they recounted their family histories or shared their research on particular graves we found. They threw themselves into the second night quiz (just how much does a pint of milk cost these days?) which was something of a contrast to the challenges set by Mr Colley on the battlefields trips of yesteryear. Back in 1992 the Somme was quiet and largely untouched since the ravages of 1916. Now it is awash with visitor centres, museums and coaches as the Great War has firmly established itself on the school curriculum. Nevertheless, standing in silence at the graveside of an OMT and hearing the larks dance in the fields around, we can be transported back to another world occupied by another generation. Mr J. G. Taylor