National Army Museum website

Some excellent resources and information is available on the National Amy Museum's website

http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/

Some useful links are...

Crimea
Florence Nightingale
Early photography (including Fenton)
Boer War
The Victoria Cross

WW1
Tanks -

Western Front 1918
Finding the Fallen
Specific teacher links for visits and resources - http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/education/secondary13.shtml

Causes of the Boer War

A really useful summary can be read here - http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/governence-projects/anglo-boer-wars/anglo-boer-war2i.htm

Some key events...

the Witwatersrand Gold Rush - http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/library-resources/online%20books/all-that-glitters/the-glitter-of-gold.htm

the Uitlander Franchise -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uitlander

The Jameson Raid - http://www.angloboerwar.com/other-information/87-jameson-raid/1754-the-jameson-raid

The Unknown Warrior

Published today on the BBC News website is the story of the Unknown Warrior.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11710660

The story is also told in pictures here...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11713676

Lest we forget.

Remembrance

A couple of links to give some background as to how we commemorate the war dead at this time of year.

Why 11th November?
http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/armistice.htm

A history of the Poppy Appeal
http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/about-us/history-of-the-poppy-appeal

The Last Post - Why do we sound 'The Last Post'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Post

Search for your own family at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site.
http://www.cwgc.org/

Nursing in the Crimea...

.. a recommendation from one of my students whislt comparing the roles of Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale.

Angels and Citizens,  British Women as Military Nurses, 1854-1914 By Anne Summers

Available to read on Google Books - click the title to read the book online. Also looks at the Boer War and WW1 for later parts of the course!

Thanks Isobel!

An interesting article on WW1 aerial photos

Found this on the BBC website. An interesting article and slide show about the role of aerial photography in WW1 based on photographs in the archives of the Imperial War Museum, London.

Article here
Slide show here

I always thought that gardening was bad for you!

The Army of 1854

To understand the nature of the British Army in 1854 it is worth taking a look at the following clip.

British Army at Waterloo, 1815

Although this looks at the Army at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the Army of 1854 had not changed much since then. Therefore much can be learnt about how the army was commanded, fought, its tactics etc.

Another issue of the time was to do with the 'Purchasing of Commissions'. Find out more by following these links...
What was it?
How much did commissions cost?
Why was it becoming an issue?

An introduction to Britain c.1850

Did you know....

... that it was not until 1840 that Britain had a standard time zone. Before that times could vary across the country by as much as 10-15 minutes! Find out all about 'Railway time'

To find out more about life in Britain in 1850 the following site has loads of information on all aspect of Victorian Britain. It has something to interst everyone!

http://www.victorianweb.org/index.html

A new WW1 Cemetery

Today, more than 90 years since the First World War, a new cemetery has been dedicated in northern France. In May 2009 work began to exhume the remains of 250 British and Australian soldiers who has been killed at the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916.

On 19th July 2010 the final re-burial took place and Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery was formally completed, the first CWGC cemetery to have been built for 50 years. Of the bodies recovered, 205 have now been identified as belonging to Australian soldiers, three served with the British army and 42 are still classified as unknown.

Some of the artefacts recovered - here

Details of the process of identification - here

Video clips here

Remembering Fromelles website - here

New book on the Somme battles

Bloody Victory: The Sacrifice on the Somme and the Making of the Twentieth Century

Newly released in paperback, 'Bloody Victory' is getting rave reviews!

"The battle is firmly fixed in the collective British memory as a futile massacre, in spite of a number of efforts to argue that the matter was rather more complex. Dr Philpott’s book is the latest, and perhaps the most ambitious and impressive, attempt to buck this trend... this is an important and powerful book that deserves to be read and its arguments debated. " Dr Gary Sheffield in BBC History Magazine

"Required reading . . . A thoughtful and important book by a first-rate historian . . . It is a proper history of the battle, not simply an agonising account of its first day . . ." Richard Holmes

"A sweeping and authoritative re-examination of the battle . . . Bloody Victory is a magnificent and powerful book, destined to become the standard work on the subject" Christopher Silvester, Daily Express

The review speak for themselves... maybe some useful summer holiday reading?! Click here to buy and read further reviews.

Some final reminders before Thursday!

I have posted this before but no harm in bumping it back to the top.

My top 10 tips to help you in the exam!

1. Read and analyse the sources carefully, making brief notes by the side to save you time later on. Relate what you have read back to the question.
2. Plan your answers before you start writing.
3. The number of marks is proportional to the time you have (20 marks = 20 minutes)
4. Use the sources as the basis of your answer. This will help keep you focussed. Remeber to give examples from the sources to support your argument.
5. Use contextual knowledge - on Qb 24 of the 40 marks are awarded for your own knowledge! Use this information to put the sources into context.
6. Cross reference individual points, rather than the sources as a whole.
7. Develop inferences (what does the source suggest to you?) and support these with evidence.
8. Analyse the provenance (Nature, Origin, Purpose). Evaluate the significance of the source and its reliabilty, if appropriate.
9. Weight up the evidence, especially if is asks you for a judgement, eg How far...
10. Dont generalise the sources. Judge each source on its own merits, eg, not all private letters are reliable.

Impact of WW1 on Britain

The end of the fighting - Armistice November 1918 -

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/armistice.htm

Military casualties -

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/casualties.htm

Search Britain's war dead - Commonwelath War Graves Commission

http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp

The Representation of the People Act 1918

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/1918_representation_of_the_peopl.htm

WW1 propaganda

Detailed article on WW1 propaganda

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/propaganda.htm

Information and further links on the War Propaganda Bureau.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWwpb.htm

An excellent range of government propaganda posters

http://www.firstworldwar.com/posters/uk.htm

Key figures:

Britain's Minister of Information - Lord Beaverbrook

http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/beaverbrook.htm

Head of the Propaganda Bureau - Charles Masterman

http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/masterman.htm

Primary sources from The National Archives

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/britain/espionage.htm

Medical care on the Western Front

This link provides detail about medical care on the Western Front:

http://www.1914-1918.net/wounded.htm

The following links give detail about 'shell-shock':

http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/shellshock.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/extra/series-1/shell_shocked.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRv56gsqkzs

The story of one WW1 medical officer - Noel Chavasse VC and bar, MC.

http://www.chavasse.u-net.com/chavasse.html

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig

Another of the more controversal aspect of the First World War - General Douglas Haig, later Field Marshal, Sir Douglas Haig.

Haig commanded the BEF in France and Flanders from 1915 until the end of the war. Even today views of Haig are very divided. Hopefully these links will help your understanding of him.

Haig biography

Interpretations of Haig - a detailed overview

Haig - a source investigation

For an insight into the strength of feeling about Haig, even today, check out these books reviews... (select customer reviews)

Review 1

Review 2

Military disciple in WW1

A very useful link which looks at the subject of British military discipline in WW1.

British military discipline

A few more links to look at the emotive and controversal issue of military executions in WW1.

A summary from BBC History

Daily Telegraph article on the pardons issued in 2006

Info from the Shot at Dawn campaign - this group campaigned for pardons for all those shot so be aware of that when reviewing their site.

The Battle of the Somme, 1916

1. An excellent and detailed website from the Imperial War Museum about the Battle of the Somme, 1916.
IWM Somme website

2. Also well worth a read are some of the many personal stories from the Somme, including the experiences of JRR Tolkein. IWM Somme personal stories.

3. Check out the video clips on the WW1 'quick links' sections for some very good video clips about the Battle of the Somme.


4. This animated map from the BBC also gives an excellent overview of the Battle.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/wwone_map_somme/index.shtml

Update! New video clips added!

New videos have been added to the 'quick links'. They cover all the main topics. Many are extracts of longer programs which are also available. Hopefully the clips will give you an insight into some of the key themes and will be a change from all that reading!

Enjoy!

Revising for the exam - Unit 2 Option C

My top 10 tips to help you in the exam!

1. Read and analyse the sources carefully, making brief notes by the side to save you time later on. Relate what you have read back to the question.
2. Plan your answers before you start writing.
3. The number of marks is proportional to the time you have (20 marks = 20 minutes)
4. Use the sources as the basis of your answer. This will help keep you focussed. Remeber to give examples from the sources to support your argument.
5. Use contextual knowledge - on Qb 24 of the 40 marks are awarded for your own knowledge! Use this information to put the sources into context.
6. Cross reference individual points, rather than the sources as a whole.
7. Develop inferences (what does the source suggest to you?) and support these with evidence.
8. Analyse the provenance (Nature, Origin, Purpose). Evaluate the significance of the source and its reliabilty, if appropriate.
9. Weight up the evidence, especially if is asks you for a judgement, eg How far...
10. Dont generalise the sources. Judge each source on its own merits, eg, not all private letters are reliable.

Post-war reform - Haldane Reforms

Who was Richard B Haldane?

http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/haldane.htm

What were the Haldane Reforms (1902-1908)?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haldane_Reforms

Post war reforms - Liberal Reforms

Why was reform necessary?

Charles Booth – a detailed account of his study of London
http://booth.lse.ac.uk/

Who was Seebohm Rowntree and what did he do?
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RErowntreeS.htm

The Boer War and National Efficiency
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/redschl/historydocs/Poverty%201830-1939%20A%20Level/Boer%20war%20and%20national%20efficiency%20notes.doc

What were the Liberal Reforms?

The Liberal Reforms – a good overview from BBC Bitesize
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/britain/liberalreformsrev1.shtml

The Liberal Reforms – an online lesson
http://www.educationforum.co.uk/liberalreforms.htm