WW1 Workshop

Pupils broadened their understanding of the First World War at a superb workshop run by staff at the museum. The pupils were lucky enough to be able to engage in a hands-on experience, investigating real individuals’ roles in the war effort – both on the front and back in England. They were tasked with reading documents and handling objects that related to the individuals and trying to ascertain from those what each person’s job was, and who or what they treated.  It was a wonderful opportunity for the pupils to draw on their existing knowledge and understanding of the realities of trench warfare, and to learn how wounds and illnesses were treated. The pupils worked very proactively and demonstrated confidence and resilience in their presentations to each other, sharing what they had found out and talking through the significance of some of the objects they had handled – from winding putties to a deactivated grenade. The session consolidated our pupils’ understanding of the mental and physical challenges of warfare and enlightened them as to the role of warfare in the development of medical treatments, technology and discovery.