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Year 9 pupils did more than just learn about the experiences of World War I soldiers during their battlefields trip, they lived a little of them, too.

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.

History & Politics teacher John Haswell said: “They drank tea, played chess and croquet, and sang at the piano, just as the soldiers would have done during the war.”

Throughout Year 9, pupils had been studying the changing nature of warfare in the 20th century, beginning with a study of World War I.

“The trip was our attempt to offer students a chance to deepen their understanding of the conflict, the experience of soldiers, the scale of the tragedy, and to witness how the war has been remembered and memorialised,” said Mr Haswell.

Forty-eight Old Elizabethans were killed during the 1914–1918 conflict, among them Acting Captain Allastair McReady-Diarmid (OE 1897–1904), who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry in leading the attack on the Cambrai front in which he was killed.

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.

After that, the group went to the Somme, where they were joined by military historian Andrew Robertshaw, who has worked as the historical adviser on films such as War Horse and 1917.

“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!”

The trip finished in Ypres town with a final museum visit and a visit to Belgium’s finest chocolate shop. “The difficulty there was preventing them from melting in the sweltering heat!,” said Mr Haswell.

“Overall, it was a fantastic trip. The weather was kind to us, even if the much-delayed ferry trip home was not. I hope the boys took a lot from the experience and developed their understanding of World War I.”

Many of the School’s instrumentalists turned out in the sunshine to provide their classmates with a lunchtime concert as the nation celebrated the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

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.

The front of Main Building provided an attractive, historic backdrop for the celebration of VE (Victory in Europe) Day. There was Union Flag bunting, and the audience were invited to bring along mini-picnics.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “On the first anniversary of VE Day, in 1946, King George VI sent the nation’s schoolchildren a message: ‘I know you will always feel proud to belong to a country which was capable of such supreme effort; proud, too, of parents and elder brothers and sisters who by their courage, endurance and enterprise brought victory.

“May these qualities be yours as you grow up and join in the common effort to establish, among the nations of the world, unity and peace.’

“That royal message of peace – and the need to actively work for it and in its defence –resonates today,” said Mr Enright.

“It is vital that each new generation should understand the sacrifices that were made in order to protect our values and freedoms. We should remember that 65 Elizabethans were killed during the Second World War, among the huge number that served in different capacities at home and overseas.”

The concert featured a varied repertoire. There were musicians from:

• Junior Jazz
• Senior Jazz
• Junior Strings
• Junior Winds…
• And some from Senior Winds.

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.

In 1945, VE Day was declared a national holiday, so the School is likely to have been closed on that day, with street parties and church services taking place in Barnet.

School life had continued uninterrupted during World War II, but there were many changes because of the conflict: a dip into the School archives at QE Collections reveals that the ending of hostilities in Europe brought about a return to pre-war normality.

An editorial in The Elizabethan magazine of July 1945 states: “Schools that are in touch with their old boys are not likely to forget that the war in the Far East is a long way from ended. But the end of the European War, almost visible in its approach, has at last arrived and inevitably brought some changes in school routine. First, the obnoxious and rather archaic custom of carrying respirators to school on certain days, which must have caused the inhabitants of Barnet no little wonder, was discontinued. Next the throb of the flying-bomb was no longer to be heard, and then the occasional thud of a rocket became less frequent.”

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.

“On top of all these novelties (novelties to the majority, to the aged a fascination) luxury returns, for some school teams now even make their journey to distant adversaries by aristocratic plush coaches instead of by jarring petrol-buses.”

Year 10 History students headed to Berlin to deepen their understanding of the central role played by the German capital in the 20th century.

The 25 boys arrived in the city having studied the Cold War and being close to completing their studies on the Nazi era.

History teacher and Head of Year 10 John Haswell said: “It was an opportune time to visit, helping the boys better appreciate what Nazi Germany meant for Berlin, how the horrors of World War II have been remembered and memorialised in the city, and how the division of Berlin during the Cold War affected lives on each side of the wall.

“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 boys were excellent – they really got the most out of the experience, and have hopefully come away with some fantastic memories of their time in Berlin,” said Mr Haswell.

The boys had a full itinerary, each day going on walking tours and visiting museums.

They also took in tourist spots, including the:

• Berlin Wall, the concrete barrier which prevented East German citizens from coming to the West from the time of its construction, started in 1961, until the East German government abolished restrictions in 1989 amid the fall of communism in the Eastern bloc;
• Brandenburg Gate – the 18th-century monument that has often been the site of major historical events;
• Fernsehturm – the 369m-high TV tower constructed in the 1960s by the communist German Democratic Republic.

Bioquest, QE’s new, richly illustrated Science journal, features articles covering topics that range from a look at plant communication to an exploration of the eye’s importance in predicting human health.

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.

Edition XVII of The Econobethan takes as its theme The Economics of Conflict, looking at economic topics in theatres of war from Nazi Germany to the current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My congratulations go to the team who have launched Bioquest – I hope it will be the first edition of many. It is also good to see such a high-quality edition of The Econobethan.

“Such publications provide excellent opportunities for boys to display genuine academic curiosity and scholarship. Through its thematic approach, The Econobethan demonstrates how the big issues cut across disciplines.

“It is important that our pupils develop an understanding of the world around them, and these publications show that they are taking great interest and thinking carefully about context.”

Bioquest is produced by a six-strong editorial team. One of them, Year 12’s Advik Balaji, appeals in his introduction for “dedicated scientists to contribute articles” for future editions.

Its six articles all feature colour illustrations and are all written by pupils in Year 12. They include Kavinayan Manivannan’s investigation of The Plants’ Trojan Horse, which explores plant cells’ use of RNA defence systems against necrotrophic fungi. Shivam Vyas looks at Microbiome Engineering in Plants, considering how a recent research breakthrough could “dramatically cut the use of pesticides and unlock opportunities to bolster plant health”.

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.

Within the Economics of Conflict-themed section of The Econobethan, the writers look both at particular wars and at economic lessons to be drawn from conflicts more generally. For example, Year 12’s Akheel Kale reflects on The Bizarre Nature of ‘Hitlernomics’ and Suryansh Sarangi, also of Year 12, explores the legacy of the British selling opium in China on the Chinese economy.

The magazine also includes a more general section on Economics, Politics and History.

• For those with access to the School’s eQE network, The Econobethan and Bioquest may be viewed here.

In one of the final special activities for QE’s 450^th anniversary year, historian Joanne Paul delivered a talk on the family of Robert Dudley – a figure of enormous importance in the School’s founding, second only to Queen Elizabeth I herself.

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.

It was at the request of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, that Elizabeth I granted the royal charter founding the School in 1573. But, Dr Paul argued, the significance of the Dudley family extended well beyond the life and achievements of its most famous son: it was the Dudleys who shaped, defined and even made the Tudor dynasty.

An Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Sussex who now works freelance on various projects, she specialises in the Early Modern Period, including both the Tudors and the Stuarts.

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.”

In a lecture in the Main School Hall, which featured a presentation lavishly illustrated with portraits from the period, the younger boys looked at the rise, fall, rise, fall and rise again of the House of Dudley. Dr Paul identified five respects in which she considered the family particularly important:

• Edmund Dudley’s fundraising for Henry VII: enabled by his intimate legal knowledge of the King’s prerogative, and ruthless exploitation of these often-archaic points of law, this allowed for the grandeur of King Henry VIII’s reign, even if it made Edmund so unpopular that he was imprisoned and eventually executed.
• 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 16^th 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.
• Their involvement in the nine-day reign of Lady Jane Grey. At the point of Edward VI death’s, she was actually Lady Jane Dudley, having married Guildford Dudley (son of John Dudley and brother of Robert). John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, is considered to have engineered her accession. Jane, Guildford and John were all executed under Mary I.
• Robert Dudley’s role as royal suitor. It was widely reported among Europe’s ambassadors that the queen visited Robert’s bedchamber day and night. The death of Robert’s wife, Amy Robsart, in suspicious circumstances (a broken neck at the bottoms of the stairs – ruled an accident by the jury, but with suicide, and even murder, widely gossiped about) made it too scandalous for any marriage to go ahead. Robert would have known that such a reaction was likely – a good reason for doubting that he was responsible for the death, Dr Paul said. Robert Dudley was perhaps the one suitor Elizabeth seriously considered, and these events led to her remaining The Virgin Queen. Dr Paul said it was at Robert’s suggestion that Elizabeth made the famous Tilbury Docks speech in 1588 (“I know I have the body but of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too…”)
• Robert’s patronage of the arts. This helped culture to flourish. He commissioned some 20 portraits of himself in 30 years – “more than any prince in Europe, or the queen herself” – seven of which depicted him in a pair with the queen, showing his proximity. He also supported a troupe of actors, Leicester’s Men, which had direct connections to Shakespeare.

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.

Dr Paul also spoke of her two favourite things about the Dudleys. Firstly, she relished the fact that a non-royal family could have so much power and influence, and liked the dramatic story of their ups and downs. Secondly, she appreciated that it was the women of the family who were so often at the heart of rescuing and restoring the family name when it had fallen.

With the A-level course including the Stuart period, the Sixth Form workshop focused on changing ideas of counsel under the Stuarts.

The boys looked at the XIX Propositions – the 19 demands made of Charles I by the Long Parliament in 1642 – and at the chapter on counsel in Hobbes’s Leviathan, and then came together to discuss.

A signed copy of Dr Paul’s book is now available for boys to borrow from The Queen’s Library.

Boys on a Sixth-Form theatre trip explored one of the seminal moments in modern Indian history – the 1948 assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Twenty-two Year 12 boys and their teachers went on the History department trip to the National Theatre to see The Father and the Assassin.

It tells the story of Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse, who went from being a loyal follower of Gandhi and his non-violent methods to becoming his killer.

History teacher John Haswell said: “The play explores the conflicting narratives and complex desires of those involved in India’s struggle for freedom, and how Gandhi’s vision of an integrated nation of Hindus and Muslims clashed with the vision of others, including that of his assassin, who saw Gandhi’s integrationist ideals as a betrayal to his Hindu nationalist vision of a free India.

“For some of our students, the characters and individuals on stage were familiar through their own engagement with Indian history. Indeed, for some, the play was a portrayal of a more personal history, as family members may have experienced both the fight for independence and the horrors of partition.”

Regardless of their background, the visit enhanced all the boys’ understanding of Indian independence, showing how competing visions of a post-colonial India clashed, Mr Haswell added. They also appreciated the unique power of theatre to bring such ideas to life.

“The play also echoes beyond India, and speaks to conflicts elsewhere in the world where seemingly irreconcilable world-views collide.”

Written by Indian playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar, The Father and the Assassin premiered at the National last year. It completes its second run there this month.

After the visit, the boys, all A-level History students, gave their reactions. Joel Kidangan Justine said: “This was my first time to the theatre, and I’m amazed by how well they are able to capture the story of Indian independence in such a clever and interesting way.”

Kyshaan Ravikumar described the play as “an enticing reimagination of the struggle for Indian independence”, while Vaibhav Gaddi praised “a captivating story that sheds light on the story of Nathuram Vinayak Godse”.