CCF trip to Normandy

A very early start from Skinners’ saw a group of CCF students and historians depart for a fascinating tour of the Normandy battlefields. As well as visiting the actual landing beaches of Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah and Omaha, the party saw and were talked through the actions at landmark encounters such as Pegasus Bridge and the Merville Battery, getting a real insight into the almost inconceivable odds against successful assaults and the tactics and sheer bloody mindedness of the attackers, both in terms of their training and the actions of certain individuals.

Cemetries of British, American and also fallen German troops were visited, adding a poignant perspective to the trip, with our students seeing some headstones of young British lads who had lied about their age; ‘That’s crazy – it’s like a Year 11 at Skinners’ was one comment overheard. The story of the American assaults was examined, with a particularly impressive visit to the Airbourne Museum at St Mere-Eglise, where the boys’ only real complaint was that they wanted to have more time there.

Our departure day saw us visiting the British Normandy Memorial at Arromanches, where senior cadets lay a wreath from Skinners’ and helped to add a real sense of perspective to the heroics and loss experienced so that we may have the freedoms that today we take for granted.

Patrick Smethurst