French students visit Guernsey in fourth year of exchange programme
- Twenty-five French students aged 10-14 from Masnières are visiting Guernsey for a week-long exchange programme
- The visit is part of the fourth annual Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Charitable Trust Schools Exchange Programme
- Students will tour Castle Cornet, Victor Hugo's House, visit Herm and meet the Lieutenant Governor
- Blanchelande College and Les Beaucamps High School students will make a reciprocal visit to Masnières in June
- St Peter Port is twinned with Masnières, which was defended by the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry during WWI
Twenty-five students from Masnières have arrived in Guernsey for a week-long visit as part of the annual Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Charitable Trust Schools Exchange Programme.
The students, aged between 10 and 14, are staying with local host families and following an established schedule that includes visits to local schools and key island attractions.
Highlights of their itinerary include tours of Castle Cornet and Victor Hugo's House, a trip to Herm, fish and chips on the beach at Cobo, and a visit to His Excellency Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Cripwell at Government House.
This marks the fourth year of the exchange programme, with students from Blanchelande College and Les Beaucamps High School participating in both the hosting arrangements and the reciprocal visit to Masnières scheduled for June.
The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Charitable Trust continues to work with all Guernsey senior schools to strengthen the exchange programme, with interest continuing to grow among schools and students for both current and future trips.
The visiting students and their teachers will attend a Vin d'Honneur hosted by St Peter Port Constables on Thursday 23rd April.
St Peter Port is twinned with Masnières, a town in Nord-Pas-de-Calais that was defended by the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry during the Battle of Cambrai in the First World War.
Background and history
The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Charitable Trust was formed in 2016, initially to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RGLI's defence in the face of a fierce German counter-attack in Masnieres as part of the Battle of Cambrai on the Western Front in 1917. Its funds came from the hugely successful 2017 campaign for the 100th anniversary, which allowed for a memorial at Masnières to be erected in November 2017 to mark the Battle of Cambrai. In October 2019, St Peter Port was formally twinned with the French town of Masnieres, the scene of Guernsey's Finest Hour, with the original twinning document written in both French and English. By late 2020, the trust was actively developing cultural connections, with plans for an exchange student programme between Blanchelande College and schools in Masnieres emerging. The first exchange took place in 2023, with the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Charitable Trust organizing for children from both primary and secondary schools in Masnieres to visit the island. In April 2025, students visited for the first time as part of an exchange with local students from Blanchelande College and, for the first time, St Sampson's High School. Each year, an increasing number of students visit Masnières, with the trust growing the numbers annually, while in March 2026, the RGLI Association announced it was purchasing the former cafe at 16, La Rue Verte in Masnieres – the scene of several days of bloody fighting in 1917 – to establish a cultural centre that would serve as a focal point for the annual student exchange.
Q&A
Q: How many students are visiting from Masnières?
A: Twenty-five students aged between 10 and 14 years old have arrived from Masnières with their teachers.
Q: Which Guernsey schools are involved in the exchange programme?
A: Blanchelande College and Les Beaucamps High School are participating, with the Trust working with all Guernsey senior schools to strengthen the programme.
Q: What is the historical connection between Guernsey and Masnières?
A: St Peter Port is twinned with Masnières, which was defended by the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry during the Battle of Cambrai during the First World War.
Comments ()