Thursday 30 April 2015

Ancestry Taster Sessions

We're at the lovely Newport library today to run a couple of ancestry taster sessions to help people get started in researching their family history. Look out for ancestry taster sessions based specifically around tracing your WW1 ancestors coming soon in Telford and Wrekin libraries. Ancestry is free in all libraries with a library membership so head to your local library today to start your research.


Wednesday 29 April 2015

Faith & Action: Quakers and the First World War



At the moment there is a very interesting exhibition relating to the First World War at the Birmingham museum and art gallery. Using original material it tells the story of Quakers in World War One and is particularly interesting in how it shows conscientious objectors doing lots of useful work towards the war effort and fights against the traditional prejudice and narrative that all conscientious objectors were cowards.

The exhibition is open daily 10-5 except Fridays when it opens slightly later at 10.30. It is based in the community gallery which is best accessed via the entrance on Great Charles Street. Entrance is free.

We also have a number of interesting books on the subject of conscientious objectors during World War One that are available to reserve including the excellent 'We Will Not Fight' by Will Ellsworth-Jones.

Overall, I think it is very important that the story of conscientious objectors whether religious or not is told and is made a part of our collective memory of WW1. Many conscientious objectors carried out vital war work including giving medical aid on the frontline and this should not be forgotten.

Friday 24 April 2015

Gallipoli Campaign

Tomorrow marks the 100 year anniversary of the start of the Gallipoli campaign fought between the Ottoman Empire and the allies including the British Empire and France. The campaign lasted until the 9th of January 1916 and was one of the greatest Ottoman victories of the war.

 

1915-16

  • 350,000 British troops, 35,000 died
  • 79,000 French troops, 10,000 died
  • 74,000 Anzac troops, 10,000 died
  • 400,000 Turkish troops, 86,000 died
 
 

Gallipoli was also a high profile failure for Winston Churchill who would later lead Britain in the Second World War. He promoted the idea of the invasion as a way to end the war quickly and pressed forward with the plans despite the rest of the cabinet being less enthusiastic. His idea that they would be able to defeat an empire that he saw as backwards turned into a nightmare and irreparably harmed the reputation of Prime Minister Asquith and his war committee eventually leading to Asquith resigning and Churchill being demoted in a new David Lloyd George led government.

We have several books about Gallipoli on our online catalogue. I particularly want to recommend 'Gallipoli' by Peter Hart which is a really interesting and engaging read written by an oral historian for the Imperial War Museum.

Friday 17 April 2015

Heritage Heroes

                                                     http://www.heritageheroes.org.uk/
 
Heritage Heroes is a website that allows people who want to volunteer but can't get to one of the local centres to still be able to contribute to the digitization of Shropshires past. There are some great projects to get involved with on the website and there should be something that matches your interest.
 
The sections of the website that we particularly want to draw to your attention are the variety of WW1 based projects that you can contribute to on the site particularly the Wellington Journal where volunteers are asked to index personal names within the paper from August 1914-December 1914. You are only asked to do a page at a time so the work isn't too laborious but really makes a difference and will help people be able to search for their WW1 ancestors much quicker in the future. More months of the war time Journal will be uploaded to coincide with 100 years anniversaries as we head towards 2018. There are also more WW1 field diaries ready to transcribe once the current ones are completed.

However little you can do it will be very much appreciated not just by the staff but customers who will use the local archives or museums in the near future so it is really worth volunteering at Heritage Heroes.
 


Wednesday 15 April 2015

Suicide in the trenches

I thought I would share with you my favourite war poem Suicide in the trenches by Siegfried Sassoon.

Suicide in the trenches
 
I knew a simple soldier boy

 Who grinned at life in empty joy,

 Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,

 And whistled early with the lark.
 
In winter trenches, cowed and glum,

 With crumps and lice and lack of rum,

 He put a bullet through his brain.

 No one spoke of him again.
 
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye

 Who cheer when soldier lads march by,

 Sneak home and pray you’ll never know

 The hell where youth and laughter go.
 
 We have a couple of Siegfried Sassoon collections available to reserve on our online catalogue.

Tuesday 14 April 2015

Shropshire Remembers

 
 
 
Shropshire Remembers is a great website run by our friends at Shropshire archives that allows people to upload their own stories about Shropshire during WW1 and also to advertise any events that are being held in Shropshire relating to WW1. I strongly advise heading over there and reading some of the great content that is already available but also adding any stories you have in order to help the website to grow.

WW1 Poetry They Didn't Let You Read


Parody of ‘Little grey horse in the West’ by Lieutenant Gamble of the Durhams 20 November 1915

There’s a shallow wet trench near Houplines

‘Tis the wettest there has ever been,
There are bullets that fly,

There are shells in the sky,
And it smells like a German ‘has been’.
 
 
My dug-out’s a haven of rest,
Though it’s only a tumble down nest,
But with ‘Johnsons’ around,
I must keep underground,
Til the golden sun sinks in the west.
The above poem is taken from the very interesting Tommy Rot WW1 Poetry They Didn't Let You Read by John Sadler & Rosie Serdiville which is available to reserve on our online catalogue. It contains a variety of very interesting poetry that helps give a different view of the war to the traditional war poetry that is taught in schools.

 

Newport Library World War One Display

 

 
 
There is currently a great display at Newport library relating to WW1. It displays the work of local historian Malcolm Miles who has researched each serving person from Newport during the First World War. The display includes pictures of some of the soldiers as well as pictures of Medals they were awarded. There are also some of our very interesting books on WW1 included in the display which are available for loan from Newport library. The staff of Newport library worked really hard on displaying the great work in an interesting and easy to view format and I really recommend going along to see this display.