TRAILBLAZERS: World War One’s Inspirational Women TRAILBLAZERS: World War One’s Inspirational Women Introduction A trailblazer is someone who goes ahead to find a way through Key categories unexplored territory leaving markers behind which others can follow. They are innovators, the first to do something. During Arts & Culture the First World War many women were trailblazers. Even today their inspirational stories can show us the way. Activism The First World War was a time of political and social change for women. Before the war began, women were already Science protesting for the right to vote in political elections, this is known as the women’s suffrage movement. There were two main forms of women’s suffrage in the UK: the suffragists and Industry the suffragettes. Military In 1897 seperate women’s suffrage societies joined together to form the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies Definitions (NUWSS) which was led by Millicent Fawcett. Suffragists believed that women could prove they should have the right Suffrage: to vote by being responsible citizens. The right to vote in political elections The suffragettes broke away from the suffragist movement and Munition: formed the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) under Military weapons, bullets, Emmeline Pankhurst. They believed it was necessary to use and equipment illegal means to force a change in the law. Prejudice: When the war started, campaigners for women’s rights set Dislike or hostility aside their protests and supported the war effort. Millions without good reason of men left Britain to fight overseas. Women took on more Activism: public responsibilities. Although thousands of women had The use of campaigning worked before 1914, women took on new roles such as to bring about social or conductors on public transport, labourers and office workers. political change Women’s war work included munition and weapon Representation of the manufacturing, nursing and serving in the armed services in People Act, 1918: non-combat roles. They took on many support roles such as Granted the vote to driving lorries, mechanical work and finding out information women over 30 (with about the enemy. British women were not allowed to fight in a certain amount of the war, but a few fought for foreign armies, or even disguised property) and all men themselves as men and served as soldiers. over the age of 21 The First World War gave women a chance to show their Image: Female workers abilities in a wide range of public tasks and began to break in a Lancashire oil and cake down prejudice. Many historians believe that women’s activism factory having tea, September 1918. By George P. Lewis and contributions to the war, as well as public sympathy for the © IWM (Q 28259) sacrifices made by the millions of serving soldiers, helped bring about the Representation of the People Act in 1918. www.big-ideas.org | #Trailblazers [email protected] Resource card for teachers Additional Resources and Acknowledgements TRAILBLAZERS: World War One’s Inspirational Women Additional Resources There are lots of resources teachers and students can Acknowledgements use to discover more about the achievements of women We would like to thank during the First World War. Zvezdana Popovic and Olga Stanojlovic for Websites Books inspiring us to create the Trailblazers project. 1914-1918-online. Adie, K. 2013. Fighting on The Home International Encyclopedia Front, The Legacy of Women in World With thanks to Professor of the First World War War One. London: Hodder Lucy Noakes, Rab Butler www.1914-1918-online.net & Stoughton. Chair in Modern History at the University of Essex The British Library Anand, A. 2015. Sophia: Princess, www.bl.uk/world-war-one Suffragette, Revolutionary. and Professor Alison www.bl.uk/britishlibrary/~/media/bl/ London: Bloomsbury. Fell, Professor of French global/world-war-one/teachers/pdf/ Cultural History at the teachers-civilians-women-gender.pdf Grayzel, S.R. 2013. Women and the University of Leeds, for First World War. Abingdon; their diligent advice on The British Newspaper Archive New York: Routledge. this resource. All mistakes www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk Roper, M. 2010. The Secret Battle: are our own. British Red Cross Emotional Survival in The Great War. Our thanks to Sally www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/ Manchester: Manchester Sealey and the team at Who-we-are/History-and-origin/ University Press. First-World-War the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Imperial War Museum Government for funding www.iwm.org.uk Trailblazers: World War One’s Inspirational Women. National Army Museum www.nam.ac.uk/explore/ A special thank you to stepping-line Swanshurst School in The National Archives Birmingham for launching http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ the Trailblazers project pathways/firstworldwar/document_ with us. packs/women.htm Image: Female munitions workers Spartacus Educational guide howitzer shells at the www.spartacus-educational.com National Shell Filling Factory in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire, 1917. The Women’s Library © IWM (Q 30040) www.lse.ac.uk/library/ collections/collection-highlights/ the-womens-library Imperial War Museum www.1914.org/womenswork100 www.big-ideas.org | #Trailblazers [email protected] Resource card for teachers Lesson plan ideas Lesson plan ideas Some of these lesson ideas will require • Explore what it means to be a citizen, computer research. You may want to locally, nationally and globally. Students set the research as a homework task. can use paper and Post-it notes to For homework frameworks email display their ideas. Ask them to think [email protected]. about what positive qualities a good citizen has. They could start by exploring • Hand all 20 cards out to your students. how their two inspirational women are Ask them to organise themselves into good citizens, and then think about their groups based on the different colours own impact on their local community. of the cards. Give them five minutes to discuss what links all the women in these • Invite your students to create a cards together. Let them report back collage of their research into their their ideas, then tell them they are linked two inspirational women, the qualities by industry. of citizenship they represent, and how they think young people today can be • In small groups draw around one Trailblazers. These can be exhibited person on a large piece of paper. Ask around the school. Leave Post-it the question ‘what makes women notes so passing students can add inspirational?’ Write on different parts their own thoughts. of the drawing, for example, ‘they are passionate’ could be written on the heart. • Organise an assembly for students to share their research, presentations, • Assign each of your students one of collages and activities. This could be in the Trailblazers of World War One. Ask your school, or better still, presenting them to read the card and find out more to students in a local primary school. about them. Why are they inspirational? What impact did their achievements • Ask the class to nominate a Trailblazer have on their community? Ask them Ambassador, a student who leads on to choose a woman who inspires them gender equality and opportunities for today. Set your students the challenge of young women in the school. writing a one minute presentation based on the Trailblazer card they have been Image: Doctor and nurse treating a wounded soldier. Wellcome Collection. CC BY given, and a contemporary inspirational www.big-ideas.org | #Trailblazers | [email protected] woman they have chosen. In pairs, the students present their research. Once finished, they join with another pair and each present their partner’s Trailblazers. This is to emphasise the importance of listening, as well as speaking, to being a Trailblazer. Tops tips for creating an assembly TRAILBLAZERS: World War One’s Inspirational Women Assembly Plan Plan an inspirational assembly to share your research Who are you going to about Trailblazers of the First World War and today. invite to the assembly or presentation? This Here are some top tips for how to present your is a great opportunity research and ideas, but you can always ask for more to share these inspirational ideas from your classmates and teachers. stories with your local community. • Write down what you are going to say beforehand. Could you invite local Always make sure you introduce what you are going to community leaders, such be talking about, and have clear notes that you can look as a Scout or Guide at if you forget anything. leader, a local police officer, member of the • Think about what images you might want – do military, university lecturer, you want to make a slideshow with images of your or a youth leader? You inspirational women? could speak to your teacher about organising • Be confident and clear when you speak – make sure some coffee and tea you project your voice, especially if you are speaking in for them. a big room. Practice with your teacher before to make Could you invite a local sure they can hear you. primary school class, or a class from another year • Think about how you could make the assembly even group in your school? It more creative. Can you show examples of your collages? could inspire them to take Could you read poems, sing a song, or perform freeze part in the project! frames? Can you find some archive films of women Image: World War One: women from the First World War, or examples of work by your working in a factory. Wellcome inspirational women of today? Collection. CC BY • Think about how you can make the assembly engaging. Can you ask pupils to vote for the most inspirational Trailblazer you present? Can you ask the assembly audience about the women they are inspired by today? Which women today are Trailblazers? • How can you show everyone the different ways to be a positive citizen? You could give them examples of activities you and your class are already involved in and have some pictures of possible activities.