Two students from Eastbrook School have paid a visit to the battlefields of northern France and Belgium.
They were among the first pupils from schools around the country to make the four day visit, which was part of a Government initiative to commemorate 100 years since the start of the First World War.
Liam Brown and Jordan Mott spent time tracing the footsteps of soldiers who fought and lost their lives, as well as researching the story of a soldier from Dagenham Heathway named Frederick Edward Swingler.
The tour involved visits to the cemeteries of Tyne Cot and Lijssenthoek and the memorial to the Battle of the Somme at Thiepval in France.
The boys also witnessed the nightly Last Post ceremony underneath the Menin Gate in Ypres.
History teacher Chris Wall said: “Eastbrook School has a long association with the town of Ypres and our students have visited the area many times. “We were pleased to be chosen to be amongst the first cohort to visit as part of the 100th anniversary.”
The trip was designed to help pupils understand the hardship and struggles faced by soldiers during the First World War.
Next month will see a return to Ypres as the school follows in the footsteps of local soldier Cecil Gay, who survived the Somme and won the Military Cross fighting at Passchendaele.
Read more about the commemoration of the First World War centenary here.
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