ALNWICK DISTRICT WW1 CENTENARY COMMEMORATION GROUP A collaborative venture between members of the Northumberland Branch of the Western Front Association, the Alnmouth & District Branch of the Royal British Legion, & others discovering the history of the district in which they The Group live before, during, after & since World War One • Engage a worldwide audience through digitised documentary sources & activities & upload the Alnwick District WW1 Centenary Commemoration Group material onto information & teaching & learning is a newly constituted group drawn from a range of platforms • volunteers including members of Northumberland Branch Make school populations aware of this period of of the Western Front Association & Alnmouth District Alnwick & district history through web based Branch of the Royal British Legion plus people from the resources & activities & through inter-active education field. dramas • Inform, educate & entertain audiences through Heritage Day programmes & exhibitions Our Partners • Develop learning skills amongst young & older community groups through an examination of primary sources We are all working with the likes of Bailiffgate Museum, Northumberland Estates including Alnwick Castle, local history groups, the Northumberland Gazette & others, to deliver an ambitious programme to mark the centenary years of World War One & to build a fitting & lasting legacy to honour the local response to the nation’s call to arms. The Duke of Northumberland inspects troops of the Northumberland Fusiliers at Alnwick, May 18 th , 1915. The brigade saw service in France during World War One & suffered heavily during Battles for the Somme. (Photograph courtesy of Cliff Pettit ) The camps of Alnwick, 'A' through 'D', were located just across the river Aln from Alnwick Castle, in the area referred to as "the pastures". Why is it needed? (Photograph courtesy of Cliff Pettit ) Major reasons to support a project such as this are to Our goals safeguard local history & to demonstrate the impact of World War One upon individuals, families & communities in Alnwick & surrounding areas. The project aims to develop an understanding of the impact of World War One – synonymous with the Great It will also add to & make readily available historical War – on the people & communities of the wider Alnwick records & a database for families of local men who paid & district area through the compilation of sources & the ultimate sacrifice, school pupils & students, the resources, activities & enquiries, talks, visits, community general public at large & future generations. research & performance events, based upon the experiences of those who lived through the turbulent It is important to capture material, personal stories & period 1914-18. recollections which may be still available before they’re lost to posterity & the World War One centenary Specifically, it is intended to: commemoration years may be one of the last occasions • Reach Alnwick & district communities through when it will be possible to collect a diverse range of such talks, concerts & events & support them in things. Alnwick District WW1 Centenary Commemoration Group August 2013 Generic briefing note: Edition 5(ii) The timeframe Heritage While the initial focus will be on the first 2 years of the There were 50 or more buildings & parcels of land in the war the longer-term intention is for the project to span all area which are known to have been in the occupation of five centenary years & beyond, to deal with its wider the War Department on 1 June 1918. They were used for consequences &, by 2018, hopefully to provide a fresh accommodating troops, aerodromes, hospitals, offices, perspective on it. rifle ranges, stores, & training grounds, amongst other things. Each year is likely to be themed, for example: • 2014 – Origins of war; Response to the nation’s An example of the sort of thing we intend to deliver is a call to arms; ‘ Business as usual ’; Destruction of historical & photographic record of such buildings & land the British Expeditionary Force; still readily identifiable before designing & producing a • 2015 – Introduction of Kitchener’s ‘ New Armies ’; heritage trail leaflet for use by local communities, schools, The shell crisis & subsequent mobilisation of the family groups & visitors to the area alike, to discover some British economy to put it on a war footing; of the well-known & not so well-known memorial Gallipoli; etc plaques, statues, buildings & parcels of land with World War One connections in the wider Alnwick area. Check us out online Balancing capability & capacity For some months, now, we’ve been working closely with Bailiffgate Museum the trustees of which have kindly Of course, delivering such an ambitious programme will agreed to provide space for the project team on their new be dependent on adequate funding being secured – from website – check it out at a variety of sources – plus more willing volunteers coming www.bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk/ww1 . forward to help with the fascinating & varied work entailed in delivering the elements of the project over the next few years. In the meantime, there’s still much to be The casualty research database getting on with! How to get involved We’re calling on members of the general public, local schools & history groups, & other organisations to become actively involved with the Group. You can also help by providing family stories, photographs, personal diaries & other memorabilia for use in future exhibitions at local venues. Information extracted will included in the historical & accessible research data to be recorded by the Group. Local businesses, too, might like to lend their support &, E Company, 7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, (AKA ‘Amble especially, sponsorship – activities, events & exhibitions Company’ ). The date is uncertain, but prior to the battalion’s commemorating the World War One centenary years will departure for France in April 1915. Sadly, a significant proportion be high profile attracting both local people & visitors to of these men would never return & are recorded by name on our the area, so there’ll be great opportunities to get your war memorials. (Photograph courtesy of John Hardy, originally provided by Jack business noticed. Mitchinson of Amble ) If anyone would like more information about the project, or if you would like to offer your help or support in some Already the casualty database available via way, please contact the Group at www.bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk/ww1 contains almost 900 [email protected] . names of servicemen with Alnwick & district connections who were killed in action or died in service, & a veritable The website address, again, is mountain of additional information is available for the www.bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk/ww1 small team of volunteers to add over the next few years. Alnwick District WW1 Centenary Commemoration Group August 2013 Generic briefing note: Edition 5(ii) .