Having finished their summer examinations, Derwent Historians were relieved to be given the opportunity to visit the Old House Museum during their History lesson on Monday, to find out about life on the home front during the Second World War.
The visit commenced with two short talks conveying first hand memories of the home front in WW2. This included recollections of air raid shelters, the blitz, rationing, the role of women in the home, at work and in the land army locally. There was a range of clothes and photos for pupils to look at and they were taught how the ladies tied their hair in turbans – although not all the boys were keen to volunteer!
The second session saw pupils working in the museum’s 1940s room. Pupils started their own research, drawing on the extensive information in the three large display cabinets and referring to a number of the paper artefacts on display. Working in pairs, they selected a topic of particular interest to them – and one which could be related to both local and wider history – and made notes in their notebooks.
Our Historians will now work on a presentation to share with parents and families in the Old House Museum in July.
