Success in the educational challenge will result in a place in December’s Truce Tournament in Ypres – something the young Wolves are eager and aspiring to be at, should they strongly convey the message of the Truce.
This year’s focus is the poppy and, in particular, In Flanders Fields, which is a war poem written during WW1 by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.
The boys have been learning all about the history of the poppy and its importance to the Royal British Legion ahead of Remembrance Sunday. The players were paid a visit by Jamie Bingham from the RBL, who was able to educate and give some excellent insight into the red poppy – a well-known and well-established symbol of Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future.
As part of meeting the project criteria, the group carefully listened and engaged with what Jamie had to say, before designing their very own poppy and explaining the meaning behind it.
In addition, the boys have had to engage and celebrate the poem, In Flanders Fields. Writer McCrae was not only a poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during WW1, but also a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. To get a feel for the environment that the soldiers and the medical personnel were having to work in, the U12 squad visited The Staffordshire Regiment Museum, where they toured around a trench and got an idea from their tour guide of the conditions of trench warfare and the harrowing surroundings that the young men would have come up against whilst serving.
That link prompted Wolves to go one step further in exceeding the project criteria by making positive change within the community.
The first port of call was for the group to undertake a session of first aid training to celebrate the medical profession, while plans are in place for a special visit to local Residential Home, The Croft, with whom the old gold have a close affinity with.
Reflecting on the work of the under-12s during this year’s Truce Project, Natalie Deakin, education and welfare officer, said: “The project is a great opportunity for the children to reflect on the camaraderie that can emerge from adversity.
“The boys learn a great deal from engaging with older members of the community from hearing their stories and their lived experiences, which they always respond well to, and helps to make real how all people were affected by the war and continue to be affected by conflicts around the world.
“The players engagement in the first aid training was excellent and is so relevant to them through recent medical incidences in football such as Christian Eriksen and others.”
