A WW2 day tour looking at the Allied Liberation of Belgium in 1944, seeing one of the most impressive private Second World War museums.
The Second World War is an important part of the National Curriculum, and many schools perhaps do not realise it is possible to cover an important aspect of WW2 on a day trip and give students an insight into the period. On this new tour, we examine the events of September 1944 as British and Commonwealth forces made the break-out from Normandy and moved up the French coast into Belgium. Here they encountered German troops defending the approaches to Antwerp, a port that the Allies wanted to control to enable the resupply of their troops.
KS3 National Curriculum – The Second World War and the Holocaust
OCR GCSE Syllabus – War and British Society 1790-2010
OCR GCSE Syllabus – Warfare and British Society c.1250-present
EdExcel A-Level Syllabus – Themes in Breadth with Aspects of Depth – The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1859-1991
OCR A-Level Syllabus – British Period Study – Britain 1900-1951
OCR A-Level Syllabus – British Period Study – Britain 1930-1997 Churchill
Specialist Battlefield Guide. For larger groups we have two guides per booking.
Tour pack of information and resources to use in the classroom.
Entrance to For Freedom War Museum including object handling.
Travel by coach from your school.
Channel crossings.
This is a tour that can be completed in a day trip from any location in the south-East of England with 2-3 hours of the Channel Tunnel tunnel.
After departing early from the school we proceed to the Channel Tunnel and travel to France where we will continue our journey into Belgium.
Our first stop of the day will be at the For Freedom Museum in Knocke-Heist. Here we see life-size reconstructions portraying the liberation of Belgium and discuss the history of this period. Students will also have the opportunity to handle WW2 objects and equipment from the period.
We then visit the nearby Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, where we look at the fighting for Belgium. We will talk about the commemoration of those who fell in the Second World War as we visit the graves of British and Canadian service personnel who died here in 1944. We will also see an original Sherman Tank, which is now a memorial, enabling us to discuss tank warfare in WW2.
Moving on, we will look at the battlefield along the canals in this area, visiting an original Second World War Bailey Bridge, and seeing where the Canadians attacked German forces in a concrete bunker line using flamethrowers and assault boats. This offers a good insight into the fighting in Europe during the period 1944-45.
We will then begin our return home via the Channel Tunnel, with arrival back at the school expected in the late evening.
For Freedom War Museum
Leopold Canal Battlefield
Sherman Tank, Eeklo
WW2 Bailey Bridge
Adegem Canadian War Cemetery
If you would like more information or would like to customise this tour to suit your needs, get in touch today.
Each of our tours are tailor made to suit your school’s specific requirements.
Our team of experienced specialist guides are both passionate and knowledgeable.
Our tours are carefully designed to meet the aims of the National Curriculum.
You can rest assured that your school trips are safe and financially secured.
