Year 10 linguists and historians teamed up to explore how Berlin emerged from a 20th-century history stained by Nazism and the Cold War to thrive as a modern capital.
Forty boys – 15 more than last year – headed to the German capital for the four-day trip, with German linguists this year joining GCSE History students.
The Deutschlandmuseum – an immersive museum of German history opened in 2023 – was added to the 2026 itinerary, together with a cruise down Berlin’s River Spree.
History and Politics teacher John Haswell said: “The entire landscape of Berlin is marked by its traumatic past. I hope visiting will have given the students a taste for further travel in Germany, but also helped them see how the ruptures of the 20th century continue to shape this dynamic city.
“Given our Year 10 historians have covered both Nazi Germany and the Cold War, there really isn’t a better place to visit.”
Day 1 began with a walking tour, which ended at the Reichstag – Germany’s historic legislative government building – where the group enjoyed stunning night views of the famous Brandenburg Gate landmark.
On the second day, it was time for a closer look at the Third Reich: the boys and their accompanying teachers visited: the Jewish Museum Berlin (the largest Jewish museum in Europe); Topography of Terror (a history museum on the site of the SS and Gestapo headquarters); and the German Resistance Memorial Centre.
Day 3 brought a whistle-stop tour of Cold War history. The party took in iconic sites such as the Berlin Wall, which from 1961 to 1989 divided East and West Berlin, also visiting the DDR Museum (covering the former East German republic).
On the final day, the group took a sunny walk along the East Side Gallery – the most famous section of the Berlin Wall, which is today one of the world’s longest outdoor art galleries.
Pupil Shuo Zhen Long said visiting different parts of the Berlin Wall had underlined for him its significance in the control that the East German government, supported by the USSR, had been able to exert over the city. He added that he enjoyed the guided tours “where we visited many historic and recently built buildings and learnt about the history of the areas surrounding them”.
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During their visit to Ypres and the Somme, the 44 boys took time to call at Talbot House, where soldiers relaxed away from the front lines during the conflict.
The trip began with visits to war cemeteries in Ypres and to Talbot House. They finished the day at the Menin Gate for the Last Post Ceremony, which has been held nightly since 1928 – “a stirring experience,” said Mr Haswell.
“He took us to various places along the Somme’s front line to help us understand the battle and visualise what happened at these sites during the war. A particular highlight was seeing one boy, Azmal Hadgie, dressed in his full soldier gear, where he began to appreciate just how much these soldiers had to carry!”
Musicians from five ensembles performed for pupils and staff on the Stapylton Field lawn, with senior boys enjoying the chance to participate just ahead of the examination season.
“That royal message of peace – and the need to actively work for it and in its defence –resonates today,” said Mr Enright.
The concert came in a busy period for QE’s musicians, with the Chamber Choir spending the eve of the VE Day anniversary singing Evensong at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
With the threat of bombing lifted, protective boards on doors and windows were swiftly removed and sandbags discarded. Such activities seemed like “a production by the Dramatic Society – such as few of us can now remember”, the editorial continued.
The 25 boys arrived in the city having studied the Cold War and being close to completing their studies on the Nazi era.
“There is something powerful about physically seeing the layers of history in a city that has seen incredibly difficult times, and understanding how it is now looking to remember the past while looking ahead to the future.
The first edition is contained within the pages of The Econobethan, the School’s well-established Economics and Politics magazine, but future editions are intended to be stand-alone publications.
Seyed Jalili considers how the identification of CHIP (Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential) in human blood cells might translate into effective treatments. Joshua John looks at the ethical implications of genetic screening in his piece entitled The Cost of a Human Life.
Dr Paul, author of the acclaimed 2022 book, The House of Dudley, delivered a lecture assembly to Years 8 & 9, before conducting a source-based workshop to A-level historians.
Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We are tremendously grateful to Dr Paul for giving us her time and providing these insights into the family as we wrap up our anniversary year. It seems clear that without the Dudleys, not only would Queen Elizabeth’s School not exist, but neither would the Tudors – or not as we know them, in any case.”
John Dudley’s success in building up the Royal Navy, as Admiral of the Fleet. He prepared it for the successes it was to enjoy in the second half of the 16th century. He added to the fleet and to the armoury, while developing Portsmouth as a great port. His military experience and leadership were important at the 1545 Battle of the Solent against the French, which, Dr Paul said, was a greater threat to England than the later Spanish Armada. John Dudley was nearly on the Mary Rose, which famously sank, but had moved across to the larger Great Harry with the king, Henry VIII.
The boys asked many questions. One wondered why so many grammar schools like QE were established under Elizabeth. Because, Dr Paul said, men such as Robert Dudley and William Cecil, her chief adviser, had received a humanist education and sought to spread that widely. Another asked why Henry VIII had had Edmund killed, given that he had brought so much money into royal coffers. She concluded that Henry probably had no personal animus against him, but that Edmund’s unpopularity made his death a good political move.