Today's post is about school trips and was inspired by a walk I went on with my dad yesterday. I live in the sleepy seaside town of Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, where the walk in question took place. My dad is a bit of a history buff, and I recently bought him a book about Somerset in WW2, which mentioned Burnham. So, I thought it would be fun to see if we could visit the part of town mentioned in the book.
After the lovely weather we have had recently, it was disappointing to see leaden skies yesterday afternoon. Undaunted, we put on our coats and walked along the beach a few hundred yards from where I live to try and find a piece of WW2 history. It didn't take us long to do so, as I knew roughly where to look.
I suspect that very few people who use the beach this year will know the significance of the concrete blocks we spotted. They had been used to reinforce a section of the sea wall to the north of the town, but we knew exactly what they were. They were sections of the two 'Mulberry Harbours' that were built to support the D-Day invasion in Normandy. There are estimated to be about 30 of these blocks on Burnham beach, and it was great to be able to see something that had been an important part of the war effort.
Seeing them got me thinking. I taught in Burnham for 5 years and was completely unaware that this piece of history was a few minutes' walk from my school. Granted, this was before the rise of the 'local curriculum', but it saddens me to think that we missed giving the children the chance to touch some real history. I think schools are a bit more tuned in now to giving their children the chance to experience local history first-hand, but I suspect that the story of the Mulberry Harbours is known by very few Burnham children in 2025.
I have been reflecting on our walk yesterday, and I thought that for a little thought experiment, I would see if I could plan a school trip to Burnham for a KS2 class. I love Burnham, but it is a very unremarkable place, so let's see how we get on.
We've got to start with Frank Foley, who was the 'Somerset Schindler' in WW2. In fact, one might argue that he did more than Oscar to save people from the Nazi's, but let's just say that they were both incredible people! Anyway, Foley was born in Highbridge, which is considered by many to be part of Burnham, and there is a monument to him in the centre of Highbridge, which will be the first stop on our trip.
From there, we will visit the war memorial at Burnham Cemetery, particularly to see the names of civilians killed in the world wars. This will remind the children that the war actually came to Burnham.
We will then visit the site where an American B-17 Flying Fortress crash-landed on New Year's Eve in 1943. We will look at pictures taken at the time and compare how the beach looks now with how it was then. We will also learn about the life of Walt Skinner, who was the gunner on the plane when it crashed.
Next, it will be a short walk along the beach to the remains of the Mulberry harbour, as described earlier in this post. Then we will get back in the coach and head for the fort at the end of Brean Down, which was manned by the Royal Artillery throughout WW2.
That will probably do it for the day. It might not stand up when compared to Longleat in terms of 'fun' but the children will have an enjoyable day, and will learn a lot about the role of Burnham in WW2.
Having visited other, more high-profile attractions in the last few years, including Cheddar Caves, which has rebranded itself as a budget Disneyland (more like Banksy's Dismaland, which was a few miles away in Weston), I can say for sure that this day trip to Burnham beats them hands down.
It might take a bit more thought than just 'where is the nearest zoo' but I am sure every town in the UK has it in them to provide enough interest for a school trip. Perhaps we should start a website to compile these ideas. It's a shame that 'tripadvisor.com' is already taken!
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