Project prepares for a busy year ahead
Few
people can have failed to notice the upsurge in media coverage of the
government’s plans for the marking of the forthcoming centenary of
the Great War, which will be commemorated at key dates over the four
anniversary years of the conflict.
Here in
North Tyneside we are launching our commemorations with a series of
lectures beginning on 9th
October, 2013 at Northumbria University, where, in conjunction with
the History Department, we will welcome Professor Sir Hew Strachan, a
member of the government’s commemorations working party, who will
deliver the first lecture. As perhaps the leading authority on the
history of the conflict alive today we are delighted to have him to
launch the programme. Further lectures will follow at monthly
intervals – full details on our website.
www.tynemouthworldwarone.org
The
project has a number of
outreach activities and these have been enhanced recently by the
decision of Norham High School to dedicate a week of study to the war
in all its aspects for students from certain year groups, in the
autumn term of 2013. We will be working with the school to deliver a
programme which puts the war into the context of North Shields - the
area in which many of Norham’s pupils live today – in some cases
in the houses of men who died.
Local
playwright Peter
Mortimer is currently engaged to write a full-length play concerning
William Hunter (aged 19) who was shot for military offences in 1916.
Peter hopes to be working with pupils from Norham as part of the
development of the play and may be able to involve some pupils in the
production planned for September, 2014 which is to be staged at the
Linskill Community Centre in North Shields, only a few hundred yards
from Hunter’s home in Coronation Street.
The
project has plans for a major exhibition of stories of local men and
materials collected from relatives and other sources; to be staged
over three months starting in July, 2014. This is to be held in the
Exhibition Area of the newly refurbished Customer Service Centre and
library in Northumberland Square.
The
major focus of 2014 for
the project will be the launch of the database of biographical data
on the almost 2000 casualties of the war, which will be open to
public access on the internet from 28th
June, 2014 – the anniversary of the assassination of the Archduke
Ferdinand of Austria. This is will be the culmination of more than
three years of effort by more than fifty local volunteers, who have
painstakingly researched the stories of the men of the town who lost
their lives in the war.
The
culmination of the coming 12 months will be a public service of
commemoration in Northumberland Square on 3rd
August, 2014 – planning for this is now well in hand.
The
next in our series of
talks will be at the Low Lights Tavern and will take place at 7.30pm
on Tuesday 21st
August, 2013, featuring the origins and deployment of the Royal Naval
Division.
Tickets
– Free – are limited, and can be obtained after 1st.
August, 2013 from the Low Lights Tavern, Keel Row Bookshop, Fenwick
Terrace, Preston Road and the Project workroom.
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