This resource was originally designed for the village of Anstey, but can be adapted for other places in Charnwood Forest.
Activities: Anstey’s WWII Fallen
Use the Anstey WWII fact cards to learn about the men from Anstey who died in WWII, and to stimulate discussion.
The cards are colour-coded (red, green, blue, brown and purple) so that you can split the class into groups. Give each group one (or more) sets of cards, handing out both ‘fact’ and ‘picture’ cards. The group must match the correct ‘fact’ and ‘picture’ cards, using the information written on the cards.
The cards can also be used to compile information about Anstey’s fallen, for example:
- How many men were in the navy?
- How many men flew in aircraft?
- How many countries are mentioned?
- Who was the youngest/oldest casualty?
- What was the average age of Anstey’s WWII casualties?
- Did all of the Anstey men belong to the Leicestershire Regiment?
Learning objectives
- Finding out about people and places within students’ own locality
- Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world
- Understanding different historical contexts
- Understanding some of the ways in which we find out about the past
- Using historical evidence to make connections and draw contrasts
- Using maps to identify the UK and other countries, continents and oceans
- What kinds of occupations did the men have before joining the military?
The cards can also be used to stimulate discussion. The picture cards, in particular, can be used for a deeper dive into what it meant to participate in World War II. Ask students to choose a ‘picture’ card and write down their observations. Ask students to think about who the people are, what they are doing, what their mood might be, what the conditions are like. For pictures of hardware, perhaps think about the size of the plane/tank/ship, what it was used for and who might operate it.
For example, looking at ‘Men of the Durham Light Infantry in Italy’, you might say:
- The buildings have been damaged
- The soldiers are on foot
- It looks like a warm day
Or, for ‘Prisoners of war at Thanbyuzayat, Thailand’:
- There are men queuing up
- The men have few clothes
- The buildings are not made of brick
- Someone is holding a large bucket
- Some of the men look very thin
Once everyone has had chance to note their observations, hold a class/group discussion to share thoughts, and see whether it is possible to work out what is happening in each image.
For access to the resources, please email our Education Officer, Hayley Rock, hrock@nationalforest.org.