About the project
The first phase of the project saw the children learn about WW1 - where it happened, when it happened, why it happened, and who was involved - before going on to find out more about the men whose names appear in the war memorial in St Barnabas Church. The research into the men would result in three outcomes:
The database
The children's first task was to find the men on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and download each certificate. This would provide the children with the biographical information they needed to create a fully searchable database of the men. This research work was carried out by Year 3 and Year 4 under the supervision of Neil Storey and their class teachers. Where biographical information was missing a small group of Year 5 children then worked with Neil to use the Ancestry website to use the information they did have to find the missing information. Year 4 then worked in small groups over the course of the summer term to enter the information onto the database. Accuracy and attention to detail were paramount for this work. The database represents the first comprehensive, fully searchable database of the men on the St Barnabas Church Roll of Honour and will therefore provide an important public resource. Click on the link below to access the database.
The animated casualty map
We wanted to create a map of where the men lived. During the first half of the autumn term, a pair of Year 5 boys worked meticulously to plot every known address on a specially commissioned map of Heigham. This was authentic historical working and required huge patience and attention to detail. Once the hard copy of the map was completed the information was transferred to a digital format, charting the addresses of the lads who fell month by month through the war. Please note that not every lad is represented. Some of this information is missing from existing historical records while in other cases the lads listed on the memorial lived outside the area covered by the map. The song that accompanies the film was written and composed by Milly Hirst inspired by poetry composed by children from Wensum Junior School. Please click here to find out more. Please click on the link below to view the map.
The interactive timeline
The final outcome was to create an interactive timeline of the war. This would place each of 'our lads' on the timeline alongside major events in the chronology of WW1, extracts from our school log book, and events of local significance. This would allow the viewer to see the local, regional and international dimensions to the conflict side by side and make new connections. Year 5 were responsible for creating the statements for the WW1 timeline and Year 3 were responsible for selecting the logbook entries. During the autumn term, a group of 22 young historians from Year 4, 5 and 6 attended an after-school club and took on the responsibility for entering the content onto the timeline. Please click on the link below to explore the timeline.
