Thursday 31 July 2014

First World War Royal Mail commemorative stamps on display at Lewisham Library


The Royal Mail is producing a special series of stamps to commemorate the First World War.  30 stamps will be issued between 2014 and 2018 and the first 6 are now available. An exhibition of enlarged versions of these stamps is now on display in Lewisham Library.

The stamps will represent several themes associated with the war - How artists, including writers and painters, interpreted the events; the role of non-combatants and civilians; the role of the Services; the role of women, and the contribution of the Commonwealth.

The first 6 are -

Poppy
Original artwork by Fiona Strickland, the Scottish born and Edinburgh based leading botanical artist. She is a member of the Royal Society of Botanical Artists and considered among the leading contemporary botanical artists.

War Poetry
Lines from the poem, ‘For the Fallen’ by Lawrence Binyon. First published in The Times on 21 September 1914, ‘For the Fallen’ is the poet’s response to the first few weeks of the War. It is familiar through its recitation at Remembrance ceremonies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Binyon volunteered for hospital work in France during the War. Royal Mail commissioned a letter-cutter to engrave a section of the poem into stone. This was then photographed and the image used on the stamp.


War Art
‘A Star Shell’’ by CRW Nevinson. The image is of a flare that illuminated no man’s land. Nevinson is widely regarded as one of the most important artists of the Great War, with paintings in the collection of Tate Britain and Imperial War Museums. The artwork is on display at Tate Britain.

Portrait
Private William Tickle, who enlisted on 7 September 1914, and served in the 9th Battallion, Essex Regiment. He was accepted despite being under age (15 on enlisting). He served until he was killed at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. This is one of thousands of photographs donated to the Imperial War Museum shortly after the war’s end in response to pleas to send images of those who had died.


Memorial
‘The Response’, a bronze memorial by Welsh artist Sir William Goscombe John, represents the raising of several companies of the Northumberland Fusiliers and depicts the men joining up in 1914. The memorial is located in a public park in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.


Artefact
Princess Mary Gift Box. In October 1914, the Christmas Gift Fund was launched by Princess Mary, the 17-year-old daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. The purpose was to provide everyone wearing the King's uniform and serving overseas on Christmas Day 1914 with a 'gift from the nation'. The result was the production of an embossed brass box, which contained a Christmas card and a picture of the Princess along with gifts. Servicemen at the front or at sea who were smokers received a pipe, an ounce of tobacco, cigarettes and a tinder lighter. Non-smokers received a packet of sweets and a writing case with pencil, paper and envelopes.


This information is taken from the Royal Mail website. You can find out more at:




Wednesday 30 July 2014

Discover how WW1 shaped the modern age - with FutureLearn and the BBC MOOC

Four new free, online courses will be available this Autumn to help you discover how the First World War shaped the modern age. They are provided by FutureLearn and its partners and the BBC.

FutureLearn is a private company wholly owned by The Open University, with the benefit of over 40 years of their experience in distance learning and online education. Their partners include over 20 of the best UK and international universities, as well as institutions with a huge archive of cultural and educational material, including the British Council, the British Library, and the British Museum. (https://www.futurelearn.com/)

The BBC has collaborated with four of FutureLearn’s university partners to bring you a fascinating and diverse series of free online courses on the legacy of the First World War. The BBC has contributed vast amounts of its rich cultural and historical footage, to show you how the conflict has shaped individuals, society, technology and world affairs in the 100 years since it began.
The 4 courses that you can follow are - 
Paris 1919 - A New World Order?
University of Glasgow
This course reassesses the legacy of the Paris Peace Conference (1919) and how it sought to create a new world order.

Aviation Comes of Age
University of Birmingham
This course investigates how the white heat of innovation in World War 1 shaped the history of human flight.

Changing Faces of Heroism
University of Leeds
Learn how the war moved us away from traditional views of heroism and created new kinds of heroes and heroines.

Trauma and Memory
The Open University

Discover the traumatic effects of war on those that survive it, from the soldiers on the front lines to the civilians at home.


In case you haven't heard of them, the Wikipedia definition of a MOOC is - 
"A massive open online course (MOOC/mk/) is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as videos, readings, and problem sets, MOOCs provide interactive user forums that help build a community for students, professors, and teaching assistants(TAs). MOOCs are a recent development in distance education which began to emerge in 2012.   "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course