Teenagers from the district visited the tragic battlefields and graveyards of the First World War on a moving school trip.

The Ilkley Grammar School pupils, aged 13 and 14, made the trip to Belgium and France as part of their studies on the Great War.

They toured the trenches that divided the two sides during the 1914-1918 conflict and made poignant visits to the graves of tens of thousands of fallen soldiers.

History teacher Jeff Pancott said during the three-day trip, the teenagers visited the Somme battlefield and the site of the iconic Christmas Day football match between the warring sides.

Mr Pancott said some pupils had found relatives’ names on memorials to the fallen.

He said: “Some of the students had already tracked down that the relatives were at this memorial.

“Others had found people who had similar sounding names and have gone back to see of there’s a connection.”

Mr Pancott said for the first time the party had included a disabled pupil, and thanked all staff who helped the wheelchair user to join in with the tours.

He said: “We have done this trip now for 11 years and we have got the next five years booked."