Oulder Hill students pay respects at Ypres for World War One centenary

Brooke Strudwick at the grave of Valentine Strudwick at the Tyne Cot War Graves Cemetery

Students from Oulder Hill Community School paid their respects to fallen soldiers from Rochdale during a school trip to the Battlefield of Ypres last week.

Three members of staff and 22 students from Years 9, 10 and 11 visited the fallen soldiers’ graves at the Tyne Cot Cemetery, and visited the memorial with the names of the missing soldiers.

Amongst those honoured were:

Private S. Royds of Lancashire Fusiliers of 15 Kent Street. Died 31 July age 20

Sgt W. Cryer (Lancashire Fusiliers) of 49 Cheetham Hill, Facit. Died 9 October 1917

Private W. Haslam (Lancashire Fusiliers) of 88 Durham Street. Died 20 September 1917 aged 31.

Sgt. Henry Appleton (Lancashire Fusiliers) of Tonacliffe, Whitworth. Died 6 September 1917, aged 29.

A wreath was laid at the Last Post at Menin Gate by the students.

Head of Humanities, Rebecca Tarran, said: “We also paid our respects at the grave of Valentine Strudwick, who died at the age of 15 and is buried at Essex Farm Cemetery.

“The students found this particularly moving and humbling.”

One student who attended the trip, 13-year-old Brooke Strudwick, believes she could be related to the fallen Valentine Strudwick from Surrey, as her family come from the same county.

Brooke’s mum, Paula McEvoy, said: “This trip was organised two years ago so Brooke had no clue the guide would take them to that grave. It’s made an experience she will never forget, and she’s very interested in finding out if she is a relation.”

Following the trip, the students wrote about their experiences. Sarah Down, a student in Year 11, wrote: “Visiting the graves, most of which are for men aged 17-21, highlights these men were people’s sons, fathers, uncles and husbands who would have gone to fight for their country and never returned.

“This shows so many lives were affected by the events on the battlefields.

“The trip has made me want to investigate my family history and find out about my relatives that were involved in the dreadful war.”

Another student, Nicolas Sunderland, wrote: “When you see the graves, to us this is just a headstone, but this could have been the last person in the family’s bloodline, which could have been centuries old.

“The trip has definitely changed my perspective on the war; you can see the devastating result the way had on the population and on people’s lives.

“The ground at Hill 60 showed how much of an effect the war had on the landscape, but we cannot completely see or comprehend the effects.”

The trip to Belgium comes as part of Oulder Hill Remembers World War One Centenary Commemorations.

They also visited Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Langemark German Cemetery and the Passchendaele Memorial Museum.