The Cadet Force travelled to Ypres, Belgium in September to pay their respects to the fallen of the First World War.
46 former OSH pupils fell in that war, and twelve of them were killed in action at the Ypres Salient, which saw some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of that conflict.
At the Menin Gate, which has held its Last Post Ceremony each evening since 1928, senior cadets Archie and Dominic, supported by Staff Instructor Lieutenant Keith Evans, laid a wreath. Here, more than 54,000 British and Imperial soldiers whose bodies were never found are remembered. Four OSH pupils are commemorated at the Menin Gate: Frederick Blewitt and Benjamin Hill of the South Staffs regiment, Noel Lewis of the Tank Corps, and Walter Haycock of the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry.
Earlier that day the cadets visited Tyne Cot cemetery, the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world. There, OSH pupil Frank Smith of the South Staffs is remembered. At Tyne Cot, the cadets were able to learn about the history of the war and the battle for Passchendaele, in particular. Headmaster Paul Kilbride was at hand to offer some insight into the battles of the salient and its importance in WWI. Teachers and CCF officers Aimee Wakefield and Clare Wheeler expertly guided the cadets around the two outstanding museums of the salient, the Passchendaele 1917 museum and the In Flanders Field Museum, before cadets visited the local chocolate shops of Ypres town square.
Before leaving Belgium, Abi our youngest cadet, laid a wreath at the grave of former pupil William Rubery, who died in 1917. A short moment of reflection and quiet prayer then followed and was led by Contingent Commander Flt Lt Jonathan Richardson, before the cadets made their way back to England.
