Our soldiers’ stories
04 May 2018
An interactive map, created by History teacher Warren Lidstone and his Year 9 students, shares information about Old Boys who have died in World War I, World War II and other conflicts.
Warren was using College’s history to introduce the Year 9 students to historical concepts and research techniques when he came up with the idea for the map.
“I think it’s important the boys learn about College, so they can see where they fit and understand how much our history, heritage and traditions mean to the life of the school.
“And as I was talking about the Old Boys and Masters who served in World War I, I wanted them to be more than just names carved on the memorial in Chapel, I wanted them to be real for the boys, to help them understand the sacrifice they had made and the significance of their deaths.”
Each boy was asked to investigate the stories of a number of men, to find out where and when they died, plot their burial sites and add any personal details and photographs they could find. Warren says it was an excellent way to get the boys to see the value of using archives, databases and primary sources to assist their research.
“It’s about bringing history to life, making it real – and the boys have achieved something remarkable and significant. It’s helped them understand the connections, to see how the lives of the people and events of the past can shape who we are today.”
Warren sees this project as a work in progress and has many ideas about how the map could grow. He asks anyone who has any information that might be of interest to get in touch.
Click here to have a look at the History boys’ interactive map.
