Goodbye and Good luck!

Paris, Paris, Paris. What isn't beautiful about Paris? There is the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, the Moulin Rouge and so much more.

The best part about Paris was the way that everyone came together on the last night and picnicked in front of the beautiful Eiffel Tower and well I got to see the sunset from the top. As everyone else watched it from the green grass grounds that surround the Structure.  The view from the tower was beyond spectacular and anything that I have ever seen before. The scene was incredible, a couple got engaged, others were kissing and to tell you the truth I was super jealous. But as we walked down the tower we got the experience the lighting up of the Eiffel tower first hand.  Oh I loved it so much.  But what I loved even more was meeting the people that I was privileged enough to spend the last twenty days with.

I just want to express the thanks and gratitude that I feel to have gone on this amazing trip and for having the opportunity to learn so much in so little time.

Thank you to everyone for making this a great trip. Thank you to Stephen for organizing this trip and thank you for Elizabeth for putting up with us all!

Hannah Perry

Remember Always...

The sights that we saw were incredible, some were overwhelmingly sad and others were a celebration of life, not just ours but of the soldiers that we were studying. We have had the opportunity of a lifetime; the chance to see first hand what so many men did and died for. We got to see the battlefields were courageous battles were fought, where fearless young and old men lost their lives.  We had the chance to dress up and attempt to feel as the soldiers once felt and the conditions they endured. We jumped into the trenches with the vigor and enthusiasm of so many young men, but we were there to study their sacrifice and to learn a valuable lesson in remembrance and why it is so important in this day and age.

We were able to see into the soldier’s lives through individual and group presentations, learning about their families and lives before they bravely enlisted. The reasons behind the men’s enlistment are varied, but what it comes down to is doing what they thought was right for their families.  Whether they needed money or just thought it would be a great adventure that would be over by Christmas.  

Every cemetery was full of stories that we had no idea of, what and why did they enlist? How did they die? Did the have families, wives, children? The questions we all asked ourselves each time we stood at the plot of a young soldier.  I wish that I could tell every soldiers story, not just Canadian soldiers, but of every brave man who fought, including the Germans. Every one them fought for a reason and the ones who lie in cemeteries paid the ultimate price, but why? Even the men who came home fought with nightmares, shell shock (Post traumatic Stress Disorder) and the fact that they watched the carnage of war first hand.

 

As I walked through each cemetery my heart sank, the inscriptions on the stones brought so many tears to my eyes, so many were of hope and of love. The respect that I felt for the men below my feet was immense. They had given up so much just so that everybody would be safe and the world would hopefully be a better place. This was supposed to be “The War to End all Wars”, but we know that it wasn’t.  I know that many people have thought that the World War one soldiers lost their lives in vain, but I think differently. I believe that every soldier was there because they had little choice; the pressure of society was too much to bear. You were considered a coward if you didn’t enlist. Many soldiers were poor and needed to something, anything to feed their growing families.

This trip has been eye opening and a beautiful lesson in remembrance and what truly happened in World War One.  We had insight into so many different places, including French and German Cemeteries. We also had the chance to visit museums and wonderful memorials. The monuments built for the men truly to give honour and valor to them.

By giving students the chance to see everything, gives us the chance to spread the desire of remembrance. The seed has been planted and I know that I personally will become a history teacher and I will focus on the importance of Remembrance. I will not make it just one day of the year but of everyday. Canadian Students must understand the sacrifice made for them, because they don’t have the chance to see the endless rows of graves, such as the British and French Students. It is our duty to the men that we saw to sow the seeds of history and let them grow in the minds of many.

Thank you for the invaluable opportunity and making me only want to become a Teacher more.

Hannah Perry

Au Revoir

On May 6th we met most for the first time, but even though we started to get along with each other real well and by the time that we arrived in Ypres Belgium. We had already become friends. throughout our journey our bonds got stronger that we can joke around with each other and trust each other. As we celebrated our every step in our adventure we got nauseous by how much fun we were all having together. As we moved on to different cities groups started to form among our group of 24. But even though we were all having fun and learning a lot from our trip, we visited many cemeteries and it did not matter whether it was a german site, we were still respectful and honored their sacrifice. We enjoyed many meals with one another and not once did someone hesitate to share his/her food to someone. We started calling each other with nicknames, for example Patrick - "Patricia", Michael - "walking engine of chaos" and of course me "@$c%ing Steve". We went shopping together and spent our hard earned cash, some more than the other, we shared money to people who needed it. We enjoyed the company of our beloved bus driver Julian and he shared his culture with us. At some point it seemed that the bonds that we have sown was starting to wither but if you were there to see us on our last night in Paris, you would have thought we were the best of friends. It's sad to say goodbye but all good things must come to an end, but it's alright because the memories that we shared with one another will last a lifetime.

An applause for Stephen and Elizabeth for providing us with opportunity to create and share memories with one another. Thank you for doing what you guys did and with out you both, we would have never seen the western front the way that we did. Hoping for a WW2 western front field school or the pacific front.

Au Revoir

post by Stephen Rizada

The Sweetest Goodbye

WOW! The best word to be able to describe the light-up of the Eiffel Tower at night in Paris.
To create a perfect ending to a fantastic Western Front Field School, as a group we had an evening picnic on the grounds of the famous French Monument. It was a beautiful night.
On the menu were some sugar crepes, warm brownies, french pastries and a pink mystery pate from S. Davies' Greek Meal.
The pinnacle of my evening was when the Eiffel Tower began to sparkle. It felt nearly magical, and I have tons of photos!!!
It was the perfect goodbye, as everyone was to part their ways the following morning, bright and early. We have become almost like a family over the past 3 weeks, it will be sad to see them all go. We have been on so many different adventures, learning something new everyday, and expressing so many different emotions. This field school of the Western Front has been an epic journey into the past and present. I personally can't wait to share my new knowledge and experiences with my family, friends and future students.

-Katie Gaetz

Devonshire Cemetery

This cemetery is named after the Devonshire Regiment and the soldiers who were slain here on July 1, 1916. Duncan Martin was the Captain of the 9th Battalion Devonshire Regiment. Captain Martin led his men into battle on July 1, 1916 the first day of the Battle of the Somme, one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the First World War.
Martin had predicted that the German machine gun in the shrine located about a mile from their trenche would cause serious problems and kill many men during the attack. Captain Martin was aware that the German machine gunners would have a clear view of his men when they began the attack across the No-Mans-Land toward the German Front Line. He had gone as far as making up a plasticine model of the area and shown it to his superiors - who took little notice. He was told to move forward with the attack.
Within the first ten minutes of the attack, half the battlion had been killed. Captain Martin was among one of the many soldiers to die on July 1, 1916. The most upsetting aspect of this cemetery is to think about the entire village that was affected by the death of so many of their men. The Devonshire Regiment was a pals battalion, which meant it was created by region. The Devonshire Cemetery contains 163 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, ten of which are unidentified.
Before entering the Cemetery there is a plaque which states: The Devonshires held this trech, the Devonshires hold it still. These soldiers obeyed orders until their death and are buried in the trench where they rest today.

Caitlin Brice

Lightning Strikes at Vimy Ridge

Today I cried tears of awe, tears of sympathy, and tears of disappointment.
We arrived at the majestic monument on a windy day in May. My heart fluttered when I saw the beautiful pillars reaching for the sky from the distance. I could believe that I was finally getting to see, touch and get up close and personal with this famous Canadian Landmark. When I got off the bus my eyes filled with water. Now I'm not too sure if it was for the wind or the fact that I was actually there. As I walked up to this beautiful white monument, I felt so small. There are over 20 statues on Vimy Ridge, my favourite is that representing Canada. A mourning woman, looking over a tomb representing the 11,422 soldiers whose names are engraved upon the walls. It brings such emotion to the entirety of remembering those who died in the Battlefields.
My tears of sympathy came with Jen's presentation of her individual soldier. A young boy whose last letter to his parents was written with humour, but unfortunately did not reach his parents until 12 years after his death. Tears flowed through the entire Field School as we listened with open ears and breaking hearts. Even our Professor, Stephen Davies, was wiping his eyes. It was a beautiful moment.
Before we had lunch, our last stop before heading to the Beaumont-Hammel Memorial, was to walk through the tunnels at Vimy Ridge. Another point of anticipation for me. We were split into 2 groups, myself being in the 2nd group. As we got our safety presentation and small history lesson from our Canadian Student Guide, we waited for the 1st group to exit the tunnel. Just as we reached the door, a radio announcement stopped us in our tracks. Lightning had struck in the region and the tunnels had to be closed for 1 hour; according to health and safety. This brought on the tears of disappointment. Were we going to have come all this way to not be able to view this essential piece of the Vimy Ridge Memorial?!
Stephen was not going to have any of this, and booked us the first tour, one hour from then. Needless to say, even though we had an appointment 2.5hrs from then, to be at Beaumont-Hammel; and the drive was 1hour, we got to go into the tunnel. I think it was actually better waiting, as the 1st group didn't get as much detail or as much time 8 meters underground, like we did. The maximum time a group can be underground is 25 minutes, we got to be in there for 17 minutes. I made a video of the entire thing, something I can't wait to share with anyone who will watch it.
Vimy Ridge was a fantastic day, with extreme emotion. Definitely a day I will never forget!

-Katie

Some Things Are Overrated, Some Exceed the Hype

Some Things Are Overrated, Some Exceed the Hype
When I arrived at Notre Dame Cathedral during our walking tour I saw just another Cathedral. Someone had to tell me it was Notre Dame. This is not to say that it was not impressive, even beautiful. It was simply routine. I have seen many cathedrals and Notre Dame does not especially stand out. It was crowded. In other cathedrals I could walk around at my leisure and stare up. At Notre Dame I would be knocked over.
There were smaller churches that interested me more. The Cathedral in Triere was older, had no stained glass windows and was really interesting. There were several catholic churches in Paris that were also worth seeing.
At the Louvre I saw the Mona Lisa. It is overrated. Truth be told I do not consider it to be an exceptional work of art. It is small, dingy and famous for being famous. There were many more impressive paintings there. There were two sided paintings, one was of David slaying Goliath and it depicted the seen from the back and the front. Both looked good.
The group I was with stopped outside of a club called Moulin Rouge. Before then all I knew was it was a title of a movie I had never seen that I was pretty sure had Nicole Kidman in it. After we visited the Eiffel Tower on our last evening here everyone wanted to go look at the outside of it. I didn’t get the appeal. It’s a place with a windmill on top. We saw a very nice looking café in the Arts District that had a windmill on top.
Other things lived up to the hype. The Eiffel tower was amazing. Some of us climbed it and it was worth it. The first stop was large; it had a cafeteria and little park area. Further up there was an area with a souvenir shop and the staging area for the elevator to the top. Both had incredible views. The final stop, at the top, had two levels. The first was glassed in and had signs above the glass showing the direction and distance of various cities. The second level was open and had a small stall selling champagne for about 15 Euros/100 mL.
Seeing the Eiffel Tower at night was equally impressive. We came down after it was dark and the lights made the building even more beautiful. There was a five minute light show on the hour after sunset that had large lights like camera flashes light up the building in dizzying patterns. I had expected them to all flash at once at the end but they didn’t. They just went out and that renewed the wonder in the tower’s beauty.
The Louvre itself was impressive. It was immense, it would take at lest a day to walk through every room. Viewing each object with more than a passing glance would take days or even weeks. Appreciating each object, or even most of the objects would take weeks or months. There were paintings that towered above the viewer and Egyptian artefacts smaller than the hand.

Aaron Sauve