Discovery Museum - Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums

An exhibition about the lives of two recipients of the Victoria Cross, Cpl. C. E. Garforth, 15th Hussars, who was awarded one of the first VCs of the First World War and Pte. H. G. Columbine, 19th Hussars, who sacrificed himself to save other soldiers in his regiment.

Suitable for

• Family friendly

By Christmas 1914, the City of Newcastle upon Tyne reported that over 21,000 men had been recruited following the outbreak of the First World War on 4 August 1914. It became clear that while the war was being fought to such devastating effect abroad that it was going to have considerable impact back at home.

This exhibition takes a glimpse at what life was like here on Tyneside for those back on the Home Front.

Suitable for

• Any age

Sing and Dance for King and Country is an audiovisual installation
exploring the experiences of the people of Tyneside during the First
World War through the lens of local folk traditions and practices,
including rapper dancing, clog dancing, and folksong.

Discovery Museum - 2nd Floor Balcony, Monday 16 - Saturday
28 February

Meet the Artist: Wednesday 18 February, 2-4pm and
Saturday 21 February, 2-4pm

Presented as part of Decoded 1914-18

Suitable for

• Family friendly

Website

http://decoded1914.org.uk/sing-and-dance-for-king-and-country.html

Parade Ground is a digital artwork referencing traditional regimental
photos on a very large scale. The piece attempts to bring home to
the viewer both the terrifying scale of the region’s contribution to the
war and the very human and individual nature of this involvement.

Discovery Museum - When the Lamps Went Out exhibition,
Monday 16 - Saturday 28 February

Gateshead Interchange, Monday 16 - Friday 20 February

King’s Gate, Newcastle University, Friday 20 - Saturday 28 February

Meet the Artist: Friday 20 February, Discovery Museum, 2-4pm

Presented as part of Decoded 1914-18

Suitable for

• 14-15
• 16-17
• 18+

Website

http://decoded1914.org.uk/parade-ground.html

A Natural Anthem heralds the dawn of a new nation, with live music and theatrical speeches from the balconies of the Turbinia Atrium.

Follow our musical procession as performers lead you to A Natural Anthem exhibition, where you can listen to ‘Lark Radio’ broadcasts and interviews, and have exclusive access to a special archive of photographic memorabilia and artefacts from the new nation.

Join our growing community by taking up the nation’s currency of seeds, and plant your hopes and dreams for the future.

The exhibition is inspired by documents held in Tyne & Wear Archives, themes of security, propaganda and remembrance, and Issac Rosenberg’s ‘Returning, We Hear the Larks’.

A Natural Anthem explores the impact of threat, harnessing of community action during First World War, and today’s fight to protect the natural world.

Performances take place on 23 January, 20 February & 21 March 2015
All performances start at 1.30pm in the Turbinia Atrium and run for 20 minutes.

Website

http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/whats-on/exhibitions/a-natural-anthem.html

Join Curator Alisdair Wilson for a tour of Discovery’s exhibition When the Lamps Went Out: Life on Tyneside in the First World War, and find out what went on at the home front during the Great War.

Admission

£2

Website

http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/whats-on/events/when-the-lamps-went-out-exhibition-tour.html

During the First World War, disaster and heroism weren’t just found at the front, but at home as well. During this joint talk, Craig Barclay and John Wilson will discuss the history of the hospital ship SS Rohilla, which sank at Whitby in October 1914, and the stories of the North Tyneside heroes that rescued the survivors of this and other ships.

John Wilson is the grandson of a crew member of the Rohilla, Craig Barclay is the Curator of the Oriental Museum in Durham. They share a research interest in the history of lifesaving and lifesaving medals in general, and the story of the Rohilla in particular.

Admission

£5, free for students

Website

http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/whats-on/events/heroes-of-everyday-life-and-the-loss-of-the-hospital-ship-rohilla.html

The decades leading up to the outbreak of the First World War have been identified as a period of increasing enthusiasm for war and of intensifying militaristic patriotism. Children, especially boys, were seen as a group especially attracted to the idea of war. Historians, however, rarely know what children themselves thought, felt or did.

This talk looks at what children thought about war and peace in the early-twentieth century, by using their surviving drawings, stories and letters. Many ordinary children growing up in the North East wrote about their experiences and understandings of war, especially in local newspapers. This talk focuses on uncovering the voices of these young people. Their writings challenge many of our assumptions about how people responded to the outbreak of war in 1914.

Dr Sian Pooley teaches modern British history at Oxford University. Her research focuses on parenthood, child-rearing and children's writing in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century England.

Admission

£4, free for students

Website

http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/whats-on/events/children-and-war-in-early-twentieth-century-england.html

Over the last couple of months, patisserie students at Newcastle College have researched and tried out different recipes from the Great War era. From trench cake to Anzac biscuits, each nation had its own treats to support their men at the front line.

During this workshop, Nigel Grant, Head of Pastry and Baking at Newcastle College, will teach you how to prepare some tasty Great War bakes. The workshop will take place at the professional training kitchen of the Lifestyle Academy.

The workshop itself will last three hours, after which you’ll have the option of a two-course lunch at the Academy’s restaurant.

Suitable for

• Not suitable for children

Admission

£10 without lunch
£15 including lunch

Website

http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/whats-on/events/great-war-baking.html

In 1916 the Military Service Act first introduced conscription to Britain. Throughout the First World War, about 16,000 men conscientiously objected to military service, many with religious motives, including the Quakers.

During this joint talk, Dr André Keil will discuss the perception and treatment of conscientious objectors, while Dr Gillian Grant will specifically look at Quaker activism in Newcastle and North Tyneside.

Suitable for

• Not suitable for children

Admission

£5, free for students

Website

http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/whats-on/events/those-who-refused.html

Rachel Parsons (1885–1956) was one of the most trailblazing women of her era, but she has disappeared from the pages of history – until now. The daughter and heir of Charles Parsons, inventor of the steam turbine, she was the first woman to study engineering at Cambridge and went on to become a director of the Parsons firm at Heaton. During the Great War, she taught hundreds of women to make munitions and later founded the Women’s Engineering Society.

The remarkable story of Rachel Parsons and the Parsons family is told by Henrietta Heald, author of William Armstrong, Magician of the North, a highly acclaimed biography of Baron Armstrong of Cragside.

Admission

£4, free for students

Website

http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/whats-on/events/rachel-parsons-queen-of-the-machine.html