Women of World War 2 Workshop

On Monday the Year 6s had a visit from Julia from Education Group to deliver an interactive workshop to coincide with their exploration of World War 2. They were required to march, salute and share their already budding knowledge of this era of British history. After an introduction of why conflict erupted in Europe in 1939 the students also found out about the vital and invaluable roles that women had in the conflict both in the military and in other jobs of national importance.

They also were invited to participate in an interactive memory activity helping them learn about three military services that women joined in the war effort such as the A.T.S. (auxiliary territorial service). Many were surprised to learn that Queen Elizabeth (Princess Elizabeth at the time) was a member in 1945 making her the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member. In addition to all this Julia also got them to consider how and why the NHS was formed and why much of Britain was reliant on overseas help to rebuild the nation’s towns, cities and communities after the devastating effects of the war.

At the end of the workshop the students were invited to look at, handle and discuss many artefacts such as a gas mask, posters and ration books to enrich their learning and understanding of WW2.

Comments from the students:
Archie S: I Found it really fun and especially loved looking at the props and posters.

Violet H: I Really enjoyed the characters/accents she did. It really helped bring the facts and history alive.