You are currently viewing: Education: School Visits Home Back Forward Your Shop Basket  













Education at the Royal Regiment of Wales Brecon Museum

FINDING OUT ABOUT THE HOME FRONT DURING WORLD WAR TWO
KEY STAGE 2 WORKSHOP

Workshop length: 1½ to 2 hours (flexible)
Numbers: Up to 36 (1 adult per 12 pupils)
Prior knowledge: Some prior knowledge is beneficial

The workshop begins with 40-50 minutes of discussion and artefact handling led by the Education Advisor, introducing the skills of learning from the evidence. The pupils then work in pairs in the Education Room, studying varied sources of evidence - mostly original - about a range of key Home Front topics. The emphasis is on a hands-on approach with the pupils investigating and learning for themselves. By the end of the workshop the pupils should all have studied several topics, used plenty of different types of evidence and have information to use in follow-up work back in school.

 

Examples of topics covered in the workshop

  • rationing
  • evacuation
  • blackout
  • foods and recipes
  • women at work
  • air raids and ARP
  • reusing rubbish
  • Women's Land Army
  • careless talk
  • dig for victory
  • mystery objects

Examples of sources of evidence used

  • ration books
  • photos
  • gas masks
  • posters
  • cartoons
  • recipes
  • magazine articles
  • newspaper reports
  • 1st aid equipment
  • badges
  • ARP equipment
  • ID cards
  • uniforms
(c) Imperial War Museum

Loan Box (contents)

• First Aid shell dressing bag
• Shell dressing in wrapper x2
• ARP warden’s lamp
• ARP warden’s whistle
• ARP warden’s crush injury tag
• Evacuee name tag
• Anti-gas eyeshield x2
• Anti-gas eyeshield case
• Buttons: ARP, CD, AFS
• Pin badge: WVS Civil Defence
• Cloth badge for uniform: CD
• Aircraft identification booklet
(Spitfire, Wellington, Messerschmitt, Junkers)
• Public Information Leaflets
No.1 Some Things You Should Know If War Should Come
No.2 Your Gas Mask; Masking Your Windows
No.3 Evacuation: Why and How?
No.4 Your Food In War-Time
• Child’s Identity Card
• Adult’s Identity Card
• 3d, 1d, ½d, ¼d coins
• Civil Defence jacket & cap
• Civil Defence armbands

Contents of loan boxes vary slightly – this is an example of typical items included.

 (Original, 1942)
(Original, June 1942)
(Original)
(Original)
(Replica)
(Replica)
(Original, Oct 1942, Feb 1943)
(Original)
(Original)
(Original)
(Original)
(Photocopied extracts)

(Replicas)




(Replica)
(Replica)
(Original, dated 1934-45)
(Original, WW2 style; dated 1950/60s)
(Original, WW2 style; dated 1954)

Tips for a Successful Visit and Booking a Loan Box