Early in the academic year, 17 Bromsgrove School cadets embarked on an expedition to France and Belgium where they completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition. This followed the line of the advance of the French armies into the Ardennes in August 1914. They encountered deer and wild boar while wild camping in the ancient forest. The second phase of their expedition was a bespoke battlefield tour, following the stories of many of Old Bromsgrovians who fought in WW1. The cadets brought back a box of soil from the Flanders battlefields including bullet fragments found on the field. This soil has been incorporated into a new memorial garden at the School, containing poppies and other wild flowers. Situated alongside the School’s Armoury, the poppies have flowered for the first time and will be enjoyed during Commemoration Day, the School’s annual celebration of its founding. Deputy Headmaster, Philip Bowen, has published a book about Bromsgrovians who fought and died during WW1 and so many of their stories are therefore familiar to current pupils.