Pupils get a taste of life in wartime Britain

The girls were all prepared as evacuees, with gas masks, school party labels, and one or two even had a suitcase!

They were entertained throughout the morning, learning how to fire a replica gun, and even cracking secret codes (in a record time of 43 seconds!)

The day began with the girls finding out about life before the war and then they progressed to a floor map, where they were able to locate the Maginot Line and find out what happened to the troops at Dunkirk.

Caitlin and Julie had a chance to bomb targets, whilst the teachers tried to halt them in their tracks!

Afterwards they were able to learn about the occupations of those who were left behind and to find out how hard it was to work the gas rattle and the air raid siren. There was an opportunity to dress up in the uniforms of the navy, army and the air force.

In fact the girls were quite surprised as to how small the adult uniforms were, especially the WAAF suit. The session concluded with the story of King Christian X of Denmark and his rebellion against the German invaders.

A valuable lesson was certainly learned and they were most impressed by the King’s ingenuity.

All in all this was a memorable morning for them all and in the words of Churchill ‘This was their finest hour’.