The Platoon Experience

A unique empathy project anno 1917

NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE

Your group will step into the shoes of a 1917 Australian platoon and follow the bloody trail to CWGC Tyne Cot Cemetery. Guided by a historically based narrative, experienced guides will take youngsters aged 14 and over in tow.

After a visit to Passchendaele Museum and an introduction to the events and conditions in which people tried to survive at the front, we set off. Along the old railway bed Ypres-Roulers, we follow a platoon from the 3rd Australian Division during the great attack of 4 October 1917.

Australian unit

All youngsters will be fully dressed and equipped as an Australian unit of the time, including uniform and packs. Naturally, we will deal with the military story of 4 October 1917, but much more important will be the personal involvement. Indeed, each platoon member steps into the shoes of an Australian who was effectively there at the time and walks the same terrain where his predecessor had been 90 years ago. Gradually you get to know more and more of the character and at the end of the day you learn at Tyne Cot Cemetery how your soldier ended up. A sobering confrontation!

Lunch as a soldier

To stay in style, your midday meal consists of a hot Tommy Tucker meal (with corned beef), soldier’s food anno 1917…

Living history

With this project, the Memorial Museum Passchendale 1917 introduces ‘living history’ in Flemish education for the first time. The approach is cross-curricular with – besides history – a lot of attention to landscape, literature, technology and morals. The project itself was realised in close cooperation with the educational services of the Belgian and Australian Veterans’ Institutes and the Municipality of Zonnebeke, which had the former caretaker of the castle specially converted into an educational space for this purpose.

Note: The ‘Platoon Experience’ is not a ‘playing soldier’, but an empathy project for young people to better understand the tragedy of war in general and the Battle of Passchendaele in particular. For groups not behaving in a spirit of remembrance of those who went before us in 1917, the facilitators reserve the right to abort the ‘experience’ at any time.

The daily schedule

We offer a full-day programme with the following options in terms of hours: 9am to 5pm // 9.30am to 5.30pm // 10am to 6pm. The Platoon Experience will not start if the group arrives later than 10.00am without notifying the Memorial Museum Passchendale 1917. Our day includes admission + a guided visit to the Passchendaele Museum. The whole day is educational with two guides.

Practical info

• Read this document with our arrangements and the practical info!
• Booking: at least two months in advance (March – 15 November)
• Contact: Passchendaele Museum – Berten Pilstraat 5a 8980 ZONNEBEKE – [email protected] – BE0568699815

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