Group 4 - Churchhill Museum and British Museum

Today we visited the Churchill Museum! We visited the palces where World War Two's preparation occurred and saw the replications of the Churchill Kitchen and many different rooms used by important people. We learnt about Churchill's early life and his developing career as a politician. The Museum contains many artefacts and audiovisual displays. There was also an interactive and animated screens in the Museum. It contains images, documents, letters and other films.

Afterwards, we headed to the British Museum. There were over 6 million exhibitions in the Museum! We went to look around at the Ancient Greek section. High rock statues and many different types of ornaments werre displayed. Through all these displays, we got to learn more about the Greek history. We can know that the British Empire has a very diverse history as the Museum exhibits a whole range of displays from countries all over the world such as Egypt, China and Japan. The origin of some artefacts were bought from Greece. This shows that the British were enthusiastic about preserving history and are willing to let visitors admire the artistry of the sculptures and gain insights into how Ancient Greek influenced. This also shows that the British Empire had goot transport network and communications and diplomatic relations at that time to have gathered so many artefacts.

-Carin Loh, Wong Wee Ming, Dayna Hui, Azlin, Florence Chua!

Group 4 - Imperial War Museum and British War Museum

Today, we went to the Imperial War Museum and we learnt more about World War One and World War Two. We learnt about the period before war, during the war and after the war. The Holocaust left a deep impression in all of us. Even though some of us do learn History in school, we have not seen the posters and uniforms the soldiers used to wear right before our eyes before. It was definitely an eye-opening experience.

The SA uniforms were really cool and we saw artefacts such as the gas masks and the airplanes used in the wars. We also learnt about the discrimination the Jews faced, for example, they had to wear a yellow star badge so as to allow others to recognise them as Jews. This shows that there was difference in treatment shown to the Jews and non-Jews. They were often made fun of and sometimes, even beaten to death. The Nazis were extremely cruel to the Jews. They used many different methods to kill them, from torturing them to gassing them with carbon monoxide. This shows that the Germans were very innovative and creative in terms of thinking of new and efficient punishments and killing methods. And also, it shows that the Germans had the ability to acquire such a big pool of talents and expertise. Through all this, it has made us appreciate the peaceful life we have in Singapore.

At the British War Museum, we learnt that during the war period, there was even recruitment for a women army! This shows that the Germans wanted to make full use of all the manpower they had, making women useful. They also wanted them to be courageous and pledge their allegiance to the country by serving it too. By doing this, this may have minimized the gender discrimination against women by allowing them to do what used to a man's job - protecting his country.

- Carin Loh, Wong Wee Ming, Dayna Hui, Azlin, Florence Chua!

Group 2 - Day 2 at St. Edmund's & Salisbury

It’s our last day here in England and we started off the morning by visiting the local Salisbury market and shopping for last minute gifts for our friends (as well as for ourselves). Following that, we proceeded to the Salisbury Cathedral, the 3^rd cathedral that was built in Salisbury. The first two cathedrals were built at Old Sarum before it was moved down to Salisbury due to the lack of space.

The cathedral was built in the 1200s and it took a mere 38 years for the completion of the building (a short amount of time considering the lack of technology that they had back then). The cathedral is the 5^th largest cathedral in the United Kingdom and has the tallest spire (pointy thing at the top of the cathedral).

The architecture of the building was regal and refined, making it look impressive and graceful at the same time. Stones were used in the building of the cathedral, and some of the stones came as far as Ireland! It’s mind-boggling to learn that the ancestors of Salisbury somehow managed to carry and transport the stones from Ireland to Salisbury, and then transform it into a magnificent cathedral that has been standing for centuries.

We also climbed up the spire of the cathedral, and we got a bird’s eye view of Salisbury. There were 369 steps to the top (we know cause we counted, hee hee) and we were exhausted by the time we reached the top. Our guide was very insightful and knowledgeable, and provided us with many facts of the Cathedral.

The Cathedral also houses the oldest working clock in the world, and the clock is basically a metal machine that moves and rings the bells to tell the locals of Salisbury the time (the clock tower chimes every quarter of an hour, or every 15 minutes).

We learnt from our visit to the Cathedral that although we may be lacking in something, be it technology or information, we will still be able to achieve our goal if we put in consistent effort and though into it. The people of Salisbury managed to build a Cathedral with the limited resources that we have, and this proves that we can achieve the impossible too.

Following the visit to the Cathedral, we headed over to St. Edmund’s for lunch and to give them a presentation of our school. After the presentation, we played some games with the senior prefects and we taught them how to play Double Wacko!

Chaos ensued as we didn’t know the names of everyone, and all of us were laughing and giggling as we watched our fellow Cedarians or new found friends get whacked! We also played Wink Murder, and ended off the visit (and out trip to the United Kingdom) by giving our buddies the gifts we got for them, and took pictures them.

-Shereene, Maria, Zhuoen, Jingwen & Margie

Group 2 - Salisbusy & St Edmunds Girls' and Sports College

Today, we travelled from London to Salisbury. We reached St. Edmunds Girls’ and Sports College and we were warmly welcomed. After a brief introduction about the school and having a little refreshments, we were brought around on a tour of the school by the senior prefects of the school (Year 11s, they’re the same age as us!)

We learnt that St. Edmunds is not the only school in the area of Salisbury and that there are 2 other schools that are located right next to St. Edmunds! On the right is a co-ed school and on the left is a boys’ school. The school also has an average enrolment of about 800 students (Cedar has 1300) and the students studying in the school are from the age of 12 to 16 (Year 7 to Year 12), and is slightly different from the system that we have here in Singapore.

Their curriculum is also similar to ours and the only differences are that they also take Religious Studies as one of their humanities subjects that they will be tested on during their GCSEs. Also, instead of taking Mother Tongue like us, they learn either German, French or Spanish (they can take more than one foreign language too). Their canteen is also different. Instead of having many vendors to sell food, they have one vendor to sell a variety of food. They also have a Pasta Bar that sells pasta too!

Following the visit to the school, we proceeded to Stonehenge, a stone monument that was built around 5000 years ago. The monument changed from between 3000 BC to 1600 BC and is aligned with the rising and setting of the sun at the solstices. Stonehenge has allowed historians to learn how people of the past transported rocks from one place to another and also has significant historical value attached to it. Some of the stones used in the structures weighed over a hundred tons!

Later in the afternoon, we visited Old Sarum, the original site for the Salisbury Cathedral. The massive Iron Age hill fort of Old Sarum was reused by the Romans, Saxons and Normans befre it grew into one of the most flourishing settlements in England.

Compared to the buildings and monuments that we have in Singapore, the sites that we visited today contained structures that are much older than the ones that we have in Singapore due to the fact that our nation was founded in 1819, and even then, although it existed before 1819, most of the island was covered in flora and most of the structures on it were made of wood and straw (or other easily destroyed materials), making it hard to preserve, unlike those found in Salisbuy. Most of the buildings were made of stones and sometimes metal, making it easy to preserve for the use of the future generations.

The buildings that we visited also hold much historical value and also enables the people to learn from them in terms of learning how to build more stable and sustainable buildings as if the people of the past could build such outstanding and impressive buildings that were long lasting, we should also be able to do it now, especially with the technology and vast array of resources that we have at our disposal.

-Maria, Jingwen, Zhuoen, Shereene & Margie

Group 2 & 5 - Britain at War Museum & Imperial War Museum

Today we went to many interesting sights in London such as the Imperial War Museum, Winston Churchill’s Britain at War Museum, the Tower Bridge, Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral.

However, the part of the tour today that impacted us the most was the Holocaust Exhibition at the Imperial Was Museum. The exhibition was both horrifying and toe-curling. We could not comprehend the showcases that displayed the many ways the Nazi government exterminated the Jews as they were just too ghastly. We couldn’t digest the fact that people could carry out such torture and gruesome acts to exterminate their own kind. It was unbelievable how the Nazis became such unemotional people that they could carry out mass killings against their fellow human beings without feeling any guilt.

There were many pictures depicting the many ways the Jews were killed in concentration camps and the conditions that they worked and lived in. The country of Germany was in turmoil. It was mind-boggling to see that the conditions back then were a far cry from the cosmopolitan life that we lead in Singapore.

After viewing the exhibition, we realized that we must not take our lives for granted, and that we must work hard to uphold what we have in our nation at the moment and to cherish every moment of it while we can. Through this, we will be able to comprehend the importance of racial harmony in the establishment of a stable and prosperous nation.

We learnt that racial harmony and peace in a country work hand in hand in the building of a meritocratic and democratic nation. With peace and racial harmony, a country will have the ability to prosper and progress for the future and develop.

Hence, we, as students, must learn how to appreciate the harmony that we have in our nation and not take it for granted. Although our part may seem small in the development of a nation, we all still play a part that is crucial in the overall collaborative effort to help our nation.

- Zhuoen, Rachel Rankine, Maria, Shereene, Jingwen Margie, Raykal, Charmaine, Weiqing & Qiyu

Group 2 - Churchill War Rooms & British Museum

Today, we went to the Churchill War Rooms and the British Museum. We got to the two destinations by foot as well as by The Tube (thank goodness for The Tube or our feet would’ve died).

We managed to see other landmarks like The London Eye (shorter than The Singapore Flyer), Big Ben (is actually the name of the bell in the clock tower, not the clock tower itself) and Westminster Abbey, where 28 Kings and Queens of London were coroneted. We also managed to watch the Queen’s Birthday Parade rehearsal (whoopee!) at Westminster.

At the Churchill War Rooms, we saw the underground rooms where then Prime Minister Winston Churchill (during World War II) and his war council discussed war tactics. The rooms showcased the living conditions of the people back then (London was getting bombed by the Nazis very often during wartime), as well as how the people suffered and this made us more appreciative of the peace and safety that we now have in Singapore.

At the British Museum, we saw many ancient artefacts that belonged to the ancient Greek, Egyptian, and the people of other ancient civilizations. One of the highlights was being able to view the stone slabs and sculptures from Greece that originated from the Acropolis (ancient Temple located in Athens) that were on display in the Museum. We learnt about the history and hidden stories behind these artefacts, and also learnt more about the Gods that the ancient Greek worshipped (Yes, they’re the Gods mentioned in Percy Jackson).

We also managed to see mummies (real life ones wrapped in linen strips, and no, it’s not the noodle snack that we eat) and learnt the process of mummification (did you know that they removed the brains of a mummy by pulling it out through the nose?). The mummies were safeguarded in glass cases (to prevent someone from stealing a finger off them). We also managed to see the Rosetta Stone (a big rock that contains hieroglyphics and ancient Greek), a stone from Egypt that enabled scholars to read hieroglyphics.

After viewing the two museums, we realize that there are many differences between Britain’s museums and Singapore’s museums. Singapore museums mainly focus on Singapore’s history (like how and when we were founded as well as how we progressed as a nation) and as our nation is fairly new, it only showcases events that took place not long ago. On the other hand, as Britain has had a long history compared to Singapore, they have a diverse range of artefacts ranging from Africa to Korea.

The British Museum has more than 6 million artefacts on display, and a whole lot more that are kept in storage due to the lack of space to display it in the museum. However, as mentioned, as our nation is still fairly new, the museums in our country can only showcase few items and artefacts.

The wide range of artefacts that are on display in the British Museum tells us that the British think that preserving history is very important as we can learn from history and is also tells us that the British have ensured that past events will not be forgotten by putting them on display and educating the general public. Also, as the British have managed to get such a diverse range of artefacts, we can infer that they have a large area of influence and power back in the colonial days.

Singapore, on the other hand, places strong emphasis on development as a nation and as an individual so as to improve the lives of our citizens. The lack of a wide range of artefacts also shows us that we do not place the same amount of emphasis on history as the British do. Hence, we can conclude that while the British focus on the culture and history of the world, Singapore recognizes the need to progress and develop.

- Jingwen, Maria, Zhuoen, Shereene & Margie

Reflections Day 7 - Group 1

Today had been a very interesting day, where we had gained many more insights on the past events of British history, mainly about the World War 1.this was certainly very interesting and it has stirred up many feelings about the war.

One of the places that we had visited was the Imperial War Museum. First of all we visited the trenches. Here we could put ourselves in the shoes of the soldiers. They had to live in these types of trenches, thus experiencing much suffering while fighting against the enemies for many months during the war. The conditions in which they lived in were quite terrible we find. The reason was that they had to eat sleep and do their toilet businesses in the same place.

The next thing we had visited was the World War 1 section in the museum. We saw many exhibits of the weapons, advertisements etc that was used in the war. These can then be considered as primary sources. An example of a propaganda poster that was used during the war was “Your country needs you” with the picture of Hitler pointing towards the reader. It was a powerful poster that played on the patriotism of the people of his country; hence Hitler was able to gain much support from his countrymen easily.

Subsequently, we went to visit the Holocaust Exhibition. It was a place that stirred up many emotions as well. Through the Exhibition, we have learnt about the sufferings the innocent people had to go through. It had been really saddening when we read through the write-ups and watched the films of interviews with survivals of the war about their experiences. The death of so many people in the euthanasia camps just because they were Jewish or they failed a certain aspect in their feature showed how cruel Hitler was. However, from the perspective of Hitler being able to have the support of his countrymen showed that he was a really good leader that people actually followed.