Pupils turn back time to experience life in WW1

SPAM was on the menu for school children as they gained a taste of life as wartime evacuees.

Thirty Year 6 pupils from St Augustine’s Primary School, Darlington, were inspired by radio broadcasts featuring Churchillian calls to arms, the sounds of Vera Lynn and period costumes, including gas masks, as part of their history studies.

History was brought to life with the help of Beamish Museum whose learning co-ordinator Elizabeth Bell staged workshops in school about life in the 1940s.

Children were also asked to write a letter home as if they were evacuees contacting their blitz-ravaged families.

The project culminated in a trip to Beamish Museum to build upon what they had learned in the classroom.

Year 6 teacher Anthony Gregory said: “The initiative has proved extremely successful in engaging pupils’ interest in English and history.

“Ration packs, period dress and the speeches of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill have all had an amazing impact and the children have thoroughly enjoyed themselves. These are the sort of events that you clearly remember in years to come.”