On Monday 8th July, 27 Year 10 History students accompanied by Mr Trehy, Mr Cathcart and Mrs Appleyard flew to Berlin for a five day trip crammed with historical visits. “Value for money” is always Mr Trehy’s mantra, so every day was action packed, starting with a 6am wake up call! Our historical visits included Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse, Sachsenhausen concentration camp, and the site of Hitler’s bunker. The latter is buried underneath a residential car park, but the last days of Hitler and the Nazis were vividly brought to life by Mr Trehy’s excellent tour. As we travelled on public transport (at least four different types), there was plenty of walking – according to Jai about 25,000 steps every day! It was just as well that we had so much exercise considering the amount of sweets and fizzy drinks that the students managed to consume, and the delicious Italian food at the restaurant that we ate at every evening.

This year’s trip to Berlin was especially exciting as it coincided with the Euros being held in Germany. Whilst no risk assessment could have possibly accommodated an evening in the Brandenburg Gate fan zone, we were able to see the location of the TV studios by the Brandenburg Gate and were very lucky to have a guided tour at the Olympic Stadium – the location of the final, amongst other games. There is no doubt that this was a favourite with the students, as we were taken inside the changing rooms as well as the VIP area and the tunnel to the pitch, just days before England would be playing there in the final.

A new and moving addition to our itinerary this year, was a trip to the Allied cemetery near the Olympic Stadium, where many British airmen are buried, having been shot down when flying missions near to or over Berlin. They include W.E. Caudell – originally from Burnham, so we laid a wreath on behalf of the school in his memory and remembered the sacrifice of so many for the freedom that we often take for granted.

Our students were a real credit to Burnham Grammar and received many compliments from members of the public on their behaviour. Despite the demanding nature of the trip, they were interested and inquisitive, and certainly enjoyed their experiences. Thanks to Mr Cathcart for his help on the trip, and especially to Mr Trehy for organising and leading the trip and for delivering fantastic tours.