Somme Trench Warfare

The Somme remains a landmark in British History. On this day tour we examine the course of the battle and examine trench warfare in 1916.

Duration
1 Day
Key Stage
KS 3, 4, 5
Guides
1-2

Overview

This one day battlefield tour examines aspects of the war across The Somme, and rather than spend a day rushing round locations we visit select areas, spend time there, and use them to retell the story of the Great War and the experience of front line soldiers.

Study Themes and Curricular Links

  • KS3-National Curriculum - The First World War and the Peace Settlement

  • OCR GCSE Syllabus -War and British Society 1790-2010

  • OCR GCSE Syllabus - Depth Study- Britain in Peace and War 1900-1918

  • EdExcel GCSE Syllabus - Thematic Study and Historic Environment- Medicine in Britain and the British Sector of the Western Front 1914-1918: Injuries, Treatment and the Trenches

  • AQA GCSE Syllabus -Period Studies- Germany, 1890-1945:Democracy and Dictatorship

  • AQA GCSE Syllabus - Wider World Depth Studies-Conflict and Tension, 1894-1918

  • AQA A-Level Syllabus - Breadth Study -Challenge and Transformation: Britain, c1851-1991

  • EdExcel A-Level Syllabus - Themes in Breadth with Aspects in Depth- The British Experience of Warfare, c1790-1918

  • EdExcel A-Level Syllabus - Themes in Breadth with Aspects of Depth- The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1859-1991

  • OCR A-Level Syllabus - British Period Study- Britain 1900-1951

  • OCR- A-Level Syllabus - Thematic Study and Historical Interpretation- The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1859-1991

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Tour Includes


  • Specialist Battlefield Guide. For larger groups we have two guides per booking.

  • Tour pack of information and resources to use in the classroom.

  • Travel by coach from your school.

  • Channel crossings.


From £79 per student

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We offer flexible payment options

Sample Itinerary - 1-Day Tour

This is a tour that can be completed in a day trip from any location in the South-East of England within 2-3 hours of the Channel Tunnel.

Day 1 - The Somme

After an early morning departure from the school, we proceed to the Channel Tunnel and travel to France.

We then drive down into northern France and start at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. Here we visit the new museum, look at the Memorialisation of the First World War, and the subject of missing soldiers in WW1.

We then visit the Ulster Tower to look at one of the battlefields fought over on the First Day of the Battle of the Somme. Here we also go into Thiepval Wood and see trenches and positions uncovered by a team of archaeologists and have the opportunity to safely handle artefacts.

In the battlefield cemeteries here we look at the commemoration of the dead and the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and, on the high ground above the Ancre Valley, look at landscape and memory, and the importance of high ground on a battlefield.

We also look at war poetry in WW1 discussing the poets who fought on this part of the Somme battlefield.

We end the day at the Lochnagar Mine Crater at La Boisselle to examine the ‘war underground’ and mine warfare on the Western Front in WW1.

We will then begin our return home via the Channel Tunnel, with arrival back at the school expected in the late evening.

Lochnagar Mine Crater
Lochnagar Mine Crater
Included Highlights
  • Lochnagar Mine Crater

  • Thiepval Cemeteries

  • Thiepval Trenches

  • Thiepval Memorial

  • Thiepval Museum

Ready to Book?

If you would like more information or would like to customise this tour to suit your needs, get in touch today.

Reasons to book with us

Tailor Made Tours

Each of our tours are tailor made to suit your school’s specific requirements.

Specialist Guides

Our team of experienced specialist guides are both passionate and knowledgeable.

Curriculum Highlights

Our tours are carefully designed to meet the aims of the National Curriculum.

Safe & Secure

You can rest assured that your school trips are safe and financially secured.