Students' poetry gives inspiration

A busy day - to Helston and to Chiverton roundabout (Starbucks, not my favourite venue for a meeting but convenient to both parties.)

First to Helston to meet Martine Knight, a volunteer at Helston Museum, to pick up papers lent by Valerie Grigg on Bal Maidens. Valerie talked to staff and volunteers in Helston about her research last month.

Thence up the A30 on Chiverton Roundabout to meet a wonderful new volunteer Rose Taylor, who is keen to help with workshops. Rose, a former student at Redruth School, is in the process of researching and writing a children's novel, 'Just Like You', set in Redruth during WW1.

Rose will help to deliver writing workshops around Heart of Conflict. In particular we've been inspired by poetry written by students at Redruth School. We'll aim to focus the Heart of Conflict Education Pack around this.

Valerie Grigg presents research to Helston museum group

Great to visit my oldest school friend, Martine Knight, and the Helston Museum World War One group, which is working on plans for a 'Women in War' exhibition later this year.
Our own Valerie Grigg, who lent so much to Heart of Conflict and has a wonderful collection of objects and memorabilia, came to talk about her research on women during World War One. Her grandmother worked as a 'bal maiden' (female mine employee) through those years.
Valerie kindly left her research as a starting point for the Helston team.

Heart of Conflict exhibition draws to a close

Tobacco box once owned by Frank Johns of St Ives. Courtesy Delia Broad

Taking last minute pictures of our Heart of Conflict exhibition at the Cornish Studies Library, Redruth, on its final day.
Great to see Martine Knight who has led Helston Museum's efforts to mark the World War One centenary.
And, in the afternoon, Michael Harris from the Royal Cornwall Museum came. We've been touching base with Michael as Heart of Conflict has developed from conception to delivery, so it was great that he saw the final show.

Visit to Cornish Studies Library, Redruth

A great visit to the Cornish Studies Library, Redruth, as part of Heart of Conflict today.  Kim Cooper, Principal Library Officer, gave a fascinating 'behind the scenes' tour. Kim's obvious enthusiasm and love of her job came through - very inspiring, particularly for the students from Redruth School who have such a keen interest in World War One history. Today's visitors helped to create the amazing Remembrance Room at the school - more here. 

Some of the poems written by the students will be on display at our exhibition at the Cornish Studies library in February.








The library houses anything with a link to Cornwall - not just the Camborne/Redruth area. Its oldest book dates from 1602. We went behind the scenes to see the archives.

Kim also showed us how to read archive copies of newspapers on microfiche. Must say I always find these machines tricky - but the students were very quick. Another visitor, Viv Broadhurst from Praze W1 brought a pamphlet that she wanted to research. This proved very useful: the archives are so huge that it's important to have a starting point. The library holds (on microfiche) all copies of the West Briton since 1810 - as well as the Royal Cornwall Gazette, The Cornishman, The Cornubian and The Cornish Post and Mining News

Also on display were various items relating to World War One held by the library: points of inspiration.

I was particularly interested to see this book, which I didn't know about - very useful when researching the background of names on war memorials.

Also fascinating: something that I didn't know was in the archives - The Future Within by Martine Knight. A history of Sithney School written by my oldest schoolfriend (definitely so as she started primary school on the same day as me!).
A fantastic book - so detailed and so well researched. Relevant and inspiring for us all - showing how worthwhile it is to make history come alive.
Martine is working in Helston on the town's exhibitions and events to mark the World War One centenary.

Camborne resident provides a wealth of info

A second visit today, this time to Camborne to see Mrs Valerie Griggs who responded to a letter that we placed in the West Briton newspaper as part of our Heart of Conflict project, asking if anyone had memorabilia (objects, photos, stories) related to World War One.
Mrs Griggs phoned to say she had loaned several objects to Redruth School  (some are pictured in yesterday's blog post). She lived most of her life in Redruth but went to school in Camborne.
And she is prepared to be interviewed about her collection, and her family's experience, by Camborne Guides.  This will be a fascinating exercise.
Mrs Griggs also had lots of suggestions and contacts: research has been done into the War Memorial at Roskear Church. She has also worked closely with Cornwall Family History group.
Also such interesting pieces of information.
The names on Camborne Church war memorial have been taken off the wall because of the damp - and not replaced as yet.
Captain Blackwood - doctor in Camborne who served in World War One and kicked off the rugby matches we are researching between Cornish and Devon teams - lived at Blackwood House (Roskear) now a residential home. (Amazingly Martine Knight today also remembered Captain Blackwood, who survived the war and worked as a doctor for  many years in Camborne).
Mrs Griggs mentioned a Christmas tree festival at Camborne Church. There is apparently a 'World War One' Christmas tree.

Helston Museum pieces together personal stories

Working on Heart of Conflict (our project marking the centenary of World War One) -  visit Helston Museum to see a very old friend, Martine Knight, who started at Leedstown Primary School on the same day as me - more years ago than I like to remember.
Martine - unchanged - has led Helston Museum's fantastic work on marking the centenary of World War one. She and her team of volunteers have researched the names on the town's war memorial (in the churchyard) and created folders on each name. They displayed simple boards with information in a stark and moving exhibition in the autumn. This is just the first stage of a four-year plan to mark the centenary of the war.
Also in the pipeline - improving the town trail (to pass the houses where soldiers lived), renovating graves of those who died at home (Martine herself has done a lot of this), exploring the role of women in the war - and finally in 2018 a trip to the battlefields and war graves.
It's a fantastic effort and grounded in something so solid: the war memorial itself.
The museum is also a revelation. There's so much in it. In the corridor I noticed a grandfather clock decorated with carved bone (left over bones from the owner's lunch!).

This wonderful cushion was on display earlier in the autumn. It was embroidered by a soldier from the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.  The Cornish coat of arms and motto 'One and All' are visible in the centre.
It was part of a 'therapy' kit given to convalescing soldiers - or even soldiers in Prisoner of War camps.
There's something poignant about the pastel colours, delicate beading and gold threads, worked by worked by someone who not so long previously had seen the carnage of the trenches.