Wartime objects bring centenary history alive

Students in Year 8 gained a practical lesson in the history of the First World War. A collection of hundreds of items dating from the early 20th century gave an insight into life at that time. Former teacher Jason King shared his fascinating collection with students, presenting the story of a typical soldier on the Western Front in 1914.

Students could try on original uniforms, caps and helmets, view documents and try out objects that would have been in common use a century ago. Mr King’s informative explanations brought the history of the war to life. The collection included items from British infantrymen, the French, American, Empire and German combatants, as well as showing life on the home front and items recovered from the battlefields of France and Belgium.

Taking the students through the soldiers’ experience of the war, they practiced  drill, learning about the abundance of volunteers and the shortage of equipment.

Head of Humanities Jackie Sykes said, “The artefacts collection brings home to everyone the extreme conditions endured by all sides in the trenches. The students could understand what the soldiers, as well as their families, went through when they would have been just a few years older than the students are now.”