Monthly Archives: February 2014

arts and music, exhibitions, libraries, museums and archives

Exhibitions

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Many Scottish organisations at national and local level are planning to run exhibitions as part of their commemoration activity. These exhibitions and associated events such as public lectures will focus on particular aspects of World War One and increase public understanding of the conflict and its impacts. Such exhibitions will form very useful assets for learning about WW1, and some will be accompanied by new educational activities and workshops designed to enhance the learning of pupils and/or adults. Details of forthcoming exhibitions are now becoming public, as organisers announce their programmes for the years ahead. We will use this blog to publicise exhibitions and encourage teachers and students to engage with the material on offer. Now, two examples:

At the Scottish National Portrait Gallery an exhibition titled ‘Remembering the Great War’ will display paintings, photographs, sculpture and media relating to Scots who played some kind of role in the War in service or at home. These individuals will include Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Elsie Inglis, James Maxton, and Harry Lauder. The work of Scottish artists will also form a key part of the assets on show.

The National Museums of Scotland have published their programme for the First World War Centenary, with two major shows opening this year. At the National War Museum in Edinburgh Castle, the ‘Next of Kin’ exhibition will focus on family life and personal loss. The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh will feature an exhibition titled ‘Common Cause: Commonwealth Scots and the Great War’, which will explore the contribution made by the Scottish diaspora and the impacts in Commonwealth nations such as Canada and Australia.

arts and music

Music and commemoration

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The songs and music of the First World War, from both popular entertainment of the time and songs ‘adopted’ by the military, still have the power to stimulate an emotional response. This was demonstrated last month by a performance of “Far Far from Ypres” at the Celtic Connections 2014 music festival in Glasgow. It included classics such as ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’ and ‘Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag’, and modern compositions like ‘And the band played Waltzing Matilda’ by Scots-born singer Eric Bogle.

“Far Far from Ypres” is a production which uses music from the period and more recent compositions to underpin the story of one Scottish serviceman who goes off to fight on the Western Front. Conceived and directed by Scottish folk singer Ian McCalman, this concert was a collaborative effort by a large number of Scottish musicians. The programme includes narration, poetry and a visual presentation of photos and images relevant to the themes.

A separate Schools performance of the show attracted around 1200 pupils and teachers to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and provided a highly-engaging experience for the young people. Thank you to all the artists and professionals that made this possible.

Mr McCalman is keen for Scottish schools to consider staging their own versions of this production, which can be adapted to include elements which have a strong local resonance such as additional Gaelic material or poems by a local writer. Any Scottish teacher who is interested in this opportunity should contact him by email at ypresconcert@hotmail.com

The soundtrack of an earlier form of “Far Far from Ypres” is also available on CD from online suppliers, and would help teachers grasp the range and creativity of the approach.

museums and archives

Letters and the Post

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A new BBC news online story focuses on the importance of letters to servicemen fighting the war in places far from home. Titled “World War One: How did twelve million letters a week reach soldiers“, this story explains that the authorities recognised that communications from family and loved ones played an important part in sustaining the morale of soldiers. The government made arrangements with the General Post Office for an effective postal service to supply those soldiers with frequent deliveries of mail and to carry their letters back to Britain.

One of the BBC’s new interactive guides tells the same story but in a different format. It makes smart use of graphics, images and video to expand the narrative and include additional material such as discussion of censorship.

Letters to and from soldiers now form important assets for library, archives and museums services around Britain, as they give fascinating insights into the views of the people who fought and the people who endured the war from back at home. Their individual testimonies and stories are information sources of value to historians and educators, and many are now being digitised and made available online for any interested user.

A good example: The National Museum of Scotland online resource “Letters from the trenches” utilises personal letters to tell the story of one officer in the Royal Scots.