This morning I visited West Raynham Primary School to work with year 3/4 pupils looking at the history of their village and some of the villager’s involvement in the First World War.

In order to find out about trades, businesses and people living in the village in 1900 the pupils went shopping around the classroom. The pupils ‘visited’ places such as the butchers and the post office, and collected a card containing an object they might have bought there. They looked at the trade directory to see who owned that place before finding it on an OS map.

As the children were also looking into villagers on the First World War memorial we spent time finding out about Richard Plane. We looked at his family on the 1911 census, finding out who he was living with and where he was born. We discovered that Richard was born in Walsingham Workhouse. We also found his service record, detailing personal information such as his height. Pupils learnt that Richard had been given field punishment for answering back to an officer and not following an order. Finally, we discovered why Richard was on the war memorial, dying not from wounds sustained in battle, but instead in hospital from pneumonia.

Following this workshop the pupils will be going on a walk around the village, looking at some of the places they learnt about during their workshop.

Victoria Draper

Education and Outreach Officer

Map of Walsingham Workhouse. NRO, C/GP 19/172