OBs remembered at Ypres

For more than a decade, Year 9 pupils have been making an annual visit to Ypres and the battlefields of Flanders. Global restrictions prevented the usual summer tour for several years but, during the October half-term break, a Year 9 group was finally able to re-trace the steps of previous groups.

To mark the occasion of the first tour for a while, this year there was an addition to the itinerary with the dedication of a plaque at St George’s Chapel in Ypres. Funded by the Old Breconian Association, the plaque commemorates the many Old Breconians who “gave their lives for their country” during the First World War. 

The moving service of dedication, led by Rev. Andrew McMullon Padre at Ypres, took place on Sunday 23rd October, with readings and prayers from pupils during a private service.

Robin Francis, Head of History, highlights the value and importance of the connections between current pupils and the Old Breconians commemorated on the plaque.

“The dedication ceremony at St. George’s Chapel in Ypres was particularly evocative for our pupils as it came at the end of a day’s field study of the battle sites and cemeteries of the Ypres Salient. Having visited the graves of some our fallen Old Breconians, and having read aloud their final letters home, a powerful and poignant connection was felt from the current generation of Christ College pupils towards their past counterparts.”

In their own words, Archie and Seniru express the feelings of the whole group. 

This Battlefields Trip had a massive impact on us all. For me personally, it developed a deeper understanding: experiencing the Old Breconians’ stories and journeys, reading their last letters.

After exploring several World War One Cemeteries, we travelled to St George's Chapel to hold a dedication service to commemorate our Old Breconians who nobly sacrificed their lives. One of the most moving parts of the service was hearing the Last Post resonating through the chapel.

The trip had a big and crucial impact on us all. 

The plaque, which is hung adjacent to the plaques of other schools, can be found on the wall of St George’s Chapel in Ypres. Thanks to the generosity of the OBA, the dedicated plaque can be part of the itinerary of future tours for current pupils and any Old Breconians making the same journey.