WHAT DO THESE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOW?

LOCAL WAR MEMORIALSTynemouth

Newcastle

NewcastleNewcastle

University

Burradon

•2014 marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

•Our local war memorials are something that many of us see every day and are a reminder of this and other conflicts; a reminder of the lives lost and the impact on those left behind.

•War memorials have been created in the UK for hundreds of years but there was massive increase in the number built in the years after the First World War.

•Although it may not seem like it at first sight, these memorials can give us a lot of information, not only about the people who fought and died in the conflict, but also about the communities who created the memorials in the aftermath of the war.

LOCAL WAR MEMORIALS

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Explain what a war memorial is.• Identify what type of memorial the Armstrong memorial

(found in Newcastle University's Armstrong Building) is.• Explain when and why the Armstrong memorial was

created.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

•Discuss with a partner and agree on a definition.

WHAT IS A WAR MEMORIAL?

•There are many different types of war memorial in the UK.• Memorials can range from traditional ones such as cenotaphs(monuments), sculptures, crosses, plaques and books of remembrance to more unusual ones including schools, hospitals, cottages, gardens, windows, gates and church organs.

TYPES OF WAR MEMORIAL

WHAT TYPE OF MEMORIAL ARE EACH OF THESE?

AB

C

D

WHAT TYPE OF MEMORIAL ARE EACH OF THESE?

AB

C

D

Cenotaph

Sculpture

Nurses’ Cottage with

plaques

Sculpture

The Armstrong Memorial: What type of memorial is this?Who do you think would have wanted this memorial to be created

and why?

THE ARMSTRONG MEMORIAL

• This is a photograph of the Armstrong Memorial, a commemorative plaque displayed on the wall inside Newcastle University’s Armstrong Building.

• It was unveiled in 1923 and contains the names of 223 individuals, all students, ex-students or staff of Armstrong College (then part of the University of Durham) who lost their lives in the First World War, 1914-1918.

• Above it is another plaque dedicated to those who gave their lives in later conflicts.

•We know very little about the creation of the Armstrong memorial, who designed it and how the money was raised.•What we do know was that it was unveiled at a ceremony in 1923.

Tasks:1. Read short article about the

unveiling of the Armstrong Memorial from the Durham University Journal.

2. Write down 3 interesting things you have learned from reading this article and any questions you have.

THE UNVEILING OF THE ARMSTRONG MEMORIAL

The unveiling of the Armstrong Memorial, 1923 from a photo in a newspaper in the Durham University Archives.

Task:Imagine that you are a relative of one of the students of Armstrong College who died in the Great War.It is 1923. You have just been to the ceremony where the Armstrong memorial was unveiled.Write a letter to a friend or relative telling them about the ceremony. Your letter must include the following information:When and where the unveiling of the memorial took place.Who was present at the unveiling ceremony.What the speakers said about those members of Armstrong College who lost their lives in the Great War.What the memorial looks like.How you felt being present at the unveiling ceremony.

A LETTER TO A RELATIVE

1) What is a war memorial?

2) What type of memorial is the Armstrong memorial?

3) When and why was the Armstrong memorial created?

REVIEW