Pupils remember the PALs

Alsop High School students have recently returned from a study tour of Belgium and France. The Year 9 students had the privilege of joining a coach of students from Merseyside as part of a First World War Battlefields Tour organised by The University of London Institute of Education.

The students stayed at the Peace Village, near Ypres Belgium. The Peace Village was built on the site in Passchendaele, where the famous Christmas Truce and football match took place in 1914.

The highlight of the tour was the discovery of a monument to the Liverpool Pals at Montauban, on the Somme. It was here that the students laid a wreath to remember Percy Tucker the 29 young men from Walton Church who gave their lives during the Battle of the Somme. These Walton “Pals” joined together, fought together and together they sacrificed their lives.

During the visit students also visited several cemeteries including the Tyne Cot Cemetery near Ypres and the Flanders Field Museum. Alsop students also participated in the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres.

The four-day tour concluded with a visit to the Compiegne Forest, near Paris, where the armistice was signed in a railway carriage at 11am on 11 November 1918. At the end of the visit students joined a service for peace and reconciliation led by members of Blackburn Diocese.

Mr Bull, who accompanied the students said: “This was an amazing opportunity for Alsop students to follow the footsteps of the Liverpool Pals. The visit also provided students with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and understanding of World War One.”

Mr Wilson, Headteacher said: “We would like to thank Simon Bendry and the team at UCL IOE.,  for arranging this study visit. We are delighted that Alsop students have participated in a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in history of the Great War, which has reinforced their empathy and understanding of such a historic period.”