Tag Archives: great war

World War One exhibitions

Many Scottish museums, archives and libraries are already staging exhibitions that relate to the Scottish experience of World War One. National and local collections hold an extraordinary range of photos, documents, and artworks which relate to aspects of the war. Here’s a selection of some of the powerful and informative shows that are on offer to the public now, and which would enhance the learning of young people studying the history of the war.

Glasgow City’s People Palace museum has an exhibition of the work of Fred Farrell,  Glasgow’s own official war artist who was commissioned by the City Council to record images from the Western Front. His sketches and drawings are well presented with background material to give extra context.

At the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh is an exhibition called ‘Behind the Lines’ which uses personal stories and documents to illuminate key aspects of the war through individual lives. The richness of the exhibition’s assets and presentation provides a powerful introduction to the subject.

At the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh the ‘Common Cause’ exhibition tells the story of the experiences of combatants of Scots ancestry who came back to fight for Britain in the campaigns in France, Belgium, Turkey and elsewhere. The Scottish diaspora responded strongly to the declaration of war, and soldiers and regiments from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, Canada and the Indian subcontinent made a big contribution to the war effort.

WW1 drumhead service remembrance event

A national commemorative event was staged in Edinburgh yesterday to mark the start of the World War One centenaries. It took the form of a Drumhead Service, a form of religious service on a makeshift altar of piled drums draped with military flags. Following the multi-faith service on the Castle Esplanade, a procession of soldiers, veterans and members of the public marched down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Park where a field of replica Commonwealth War Graves had been erected. Participants had gathered to remember the sacrifice made by many thousands of Scots and the impacts of the war on Scottish society.

A Scottish Government news release titled “Scotland remembers” describes the event. BBC TV covered the event, and also included interviews with academic historians Sir Hew Strachan and Trevor Royle in its programmes. A BBC news story “Thousands attend WW1 Drumhead commemoration” reports on the occasion.

The War in the Air

As part of commemorations to mark the centenary of the outbreak of World War One, a ceremonial wreath was flown from Montrose Air Station in Angus to RAF Leuchars in Fife, the start of a journey south and over the English Channel to a war memorial in France.

A hundred years ago the Royal Flying Corps was in its infancy, with airpower soon to develop as a major element of modern warfare. Montrose was one of very few air stations in Britain, a centre for training new pilots and ground crew. The ceremonial flight recalls the journey of pilots and staff of the RFC squadron in 1914, who were among the “first in France” at the start of the war. A BBC news story “WW1 commemorative wreath flies from Montrose to Amiens” reports on the project, as does a report in local newspaper the Montrose Review.

Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre is already working with local schools and volunteers to develop ideas for further commemorative activity, such as the construction of a replica war plane from the World War One era.

World War One begins

One hundred years ago, on 4th August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, joining the conflict that became known as the Great War, the First World War and World War One. In the period 2014-2019 we will be commemorating some of the key anniversaries from WW1, both the military actions and some aspects of the war effort back in Britain.

Three major events yesterday formed the first element of the commemoration period.

In Scotland a service at Glasgow Cathedral gave a particular focus to the contribution of Commonwealth nations in support of Britain throughout the war. The service included a personal response from one Scottish student who had visited the battlefields of Flanders with a school group.

At St.Symphorien military cemetery in Belgium international leaders gathered to mark the start of WW1, close to the town of Mons where the first major battle involving the British Expeditionary Force took place.

At Westminster Abbey in London the day concluded with a service and candle-lit vigil. A BBC news story covers some of the day’s activity.

Across the UK a special “Lights Out” initiative led by the Royal British Legion marked the start of the war. It was inspired by remarks made on 4th August 1914 by the British Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, about Europe entering a period of darkness. Many public buildings were darkened to support this very visual reminder.

Further actions are taking place all over the country, and show a variety of creative responses to the desire for respectful commemoration. For example, a field of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, and a beacon of white light in Westminster. A cultural programme titled ’14-18 Now’ is supporting contemporary artists to reflect on the First World War and its meaning for the public today. 

The lead-up to war, sparked by the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist in June 1914, was a period of weeks during which the combatant nations failed to achieve a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Both sides in the war had complicated sets of treaties between nations for mutual support in case of war. The German Army’s invasion of Belgium, as a prelude to an attack on France, brought Britain into the conflict through a treaty to protect Belgian neutrality. The alliances ensured that huge numbers of people were drawn into the war by their governments, both as military combatants and on the Home Fronts. Another consequence was that the war was a global one, with fighting in many countries and on the seas, and campaigns involving troops from many nations.

Scottish regiments and divisions were a key component of many campaigns throughout the war, not solely the fighting on the Western Front in Belgium and France. Scots were also well-represented in the Royal Navy and Merchant navy war effort.

Many new resources are coming online to tell parts of the history of WW1 and its impacts at home and overseas. We will use this blog to highlight assets, stories and activities which will be of particular use to teachers and learners.

BBC Drama and Documentaries

The BBC has ambitious plans for marking the WW1 centenaries, both for its TV programming and also for adding to its extensive provision of learning materials for schools and adults. Another blog post will focus on the education resources.

BBC has commissioned a broad range of Drama and Documentary programmes which provide both overviews and focused productions. Some have already reached our screens: The ‘Wipers Times’ drama was broadcast in 2013, the story of a trench newspaper produced by soldiers; the Jeremy Paxman mini-series documentary overview ‘Britain’s Great War’ aired last month; and the drama ’37 days’, about the period between the Sarajevo assassination and declaration of war, in March.

To engage the public and encourage historical debate and discussion, the BBC is also broadcasting opinion pieces, such as the recent programmes by historians Niall Ferguson and Max Hastings.

Details of the BBC’s overall approach, and these and forthcoming productions, are available on their website. The range and variety of BBC TV output will form useful resources for teachers and students over the coming years.

Exhibitions

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.