THE LEGACY OF WORLD WAR 1

THE LEGACY OF World War 1

Meeting Monday June 9th

Rumi’s Cave 26, Willesden Lane, NW6 7ST,

Doors open 7.00 pm, meeting starts 7.30 pm sharp

A discussion with DEFEND SCHOOL HISTORY on Teaching WW1 and with the NO GLORY CAMPAIGN ARTISTS GROUP on Hero Stones in Willesden Green

The Government is trying to rehabilitate WW1 as a noble war fought for a just cause and to use the centenary as a celebration of Britishness. Michael Gove tried to introduce a new history curriculum modelled seemingly on Billy Bunter’s at Greyfriars School and has criticised Blackadder, Oh What a Lovely War! and Horrible Histories for detracting from the glorious sacrifice of those who died. Defend School Historyis a campaign that was set up to counter Gove’s proposals for the History Curriculum and has succeeded in forcing considerable changes.

One of the Government’s schemes to celebrate the glories of the war is to lay paving stones commemorating every soldier who was awarded a Victoria Cross. This is something that the VCs themselves would have opposed strongly. The first of these ceremonies will be in Willesden Green in August. The No Glory Campaign aims to use art and performance to counter the myth of the Glorious war. Their artists group is looking for ways to shift the emphasis from individual “heroes” to the many who were killed or maimed in the conflict.