Free Online Learning Resources
The Ministry of Defence accepts no responsibility for the content of any external websites.
www.defencedynamics.mod.uk
Defence Dynamics is a free teaching resource bank for 14-16 year olds from the Ministry of Defence. It provides over 100 complete lesson plans with real-life and topical contexts for students to apply their learning. Plus over 1,000 film clips, images and animations bring your teaching to life.
www.mod.uk
The Ministry of Defence has other free online learning resources for schools, which explore the role of defence, and the men and women who serve. The We Were There Exhibition is aimed at raising awareness of the contribution made to the defence of the UK by Britain's ethnic minorities over the past two hundred and fifty years. The exhibition is supported by a free booklet and website and provides students studying History and Citizenship to have a wider and more inclusive perspective of the two World Wars. See: http://www.wewerethere.mod.uk.
www.theirpastyourfuture.org.uk
Their Past Your Future is an innovative learning programme, led by the Imperial War Museum and supported by the Big Lottery Fund. It uses historical sites, museums, veterans and eyewitnesses to war to increase young people’s understanding and appreciation of history, remembrance, commemoration, national identity and civic participation today.
www.iwm.org.uk
The Imperial War Museum is the national museum of the experiences of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since 1914. It is an educational and historical institution responsible for archives, collections and sites of outstanding national importance. The Museum’s five branches include Imperial War Museum London which houses the award-winning Holocaust exhibition; the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast; the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, housed in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall; Imperial War Museum Duxford, a world renowned aviation and heritage complex in Cambridgeshire; and Imperial War Museum North, one of the most talked-about museums in the UK, in Trafford Manchester. All visits are free for school groups where the students are up to 16 years. Concessions apply to groups of 16 years and over.
www.iwm.org.uk/thesomme
For more detailed searching in the museum collection to find photographs and posters from the First World War, see: http://collections.iwm.org.uk/
www.cwgc.org
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) pays tribute to the 1,700,000 men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in the two World Wars by maintaining their graves and memorials, and keeping a record of their details. They are committed to inspiring young people to take an interest in their work and understand the value of remembrance. With that aim in mind, they have produced a number of free educational resources, and two websites especially for schools. Remember Me is a cross-curricular resource packed with information and engaging classroom activity ideas for KS2 and KS3 - not just History, but Citizenship, English, Maths and Design and Technology. www.cwgc.org/education/rememberme.htm
The Glory Days - Football in Times of War is an entertaining interactive site, which, through a football game, reveals facts about the effect of war on football, about footballers who died in the two world wars, and how they are remembered today.
www.cwgc.org/glorydays/flash.htmlThe Debt of Honour Register is an easy-to-use database that holds the details of the men and women (including civilians) who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars. A series of Histories related to particular First World War battlefields in France can be found at: http://www.cwgc.org/somme : http://www.cwgc.org/ypres : http://www.cwgc.org/spring1918
www.britishlegion.org.uk
The Royal British Legion provides financial, social and emotional support to those who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces, and their dependants; approximately 1 in 6 of the UK population. In addition TRBL also produces a range of resources to assist teachers to introduce specific themes into the classroom. Although it primarily covers the History and Citizenship curricula, it can also be used to support literacy and aspects of PSHE and Religious Studies.
www.ukniwm.org.uk
The UK National Inventory of War Memorials is a registered charity working to compile a record of all war memorials in the UK and to promote their appreciation, use and preservation. War memorials are a familiar sight in the landscape of the United Kingdom. They provide insight into not only the changing face of commemoration but also military history, social history and art history. Access the database of First World War memorials in the UK from this site.
www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/
The BBC history website presents an extensive range of historical resources and accounts to give an informative and comprehensive overview of the First World War, including articles by leading academics, online exhibitions, interactive maps and virtual tours of the First World War battlefields.
www.channel4.com/history/microsites/F/firstworldwar
Channel 4’s online resource dedicated to the history of the First World War provides comprehensive information about all aspects of the conflict, including historical overviews, timeline, biographical information, a glossary and links to further resources.
www.firstworldwar.com
This online resource offers an extensive overview of the conflict featuring a detailed timeline, numerous profiles, primary documents, and battlefield analysis, plus audio and video files related to the conflict. The homepage contains regularly updated features.
www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWW.htm
The Spartacus Encyclopaedia offers good information on a wide range of historical topics aimed mainly at 5 to 18-year-olds but also of strong interest to adults. Its Encyclopaedia of the First World War contains profiles of combatant states, key player biographies, analyses of major offensives and a helpful chronology.
www.gtj.org.uk/en/subjects/106
Gathering the Jewels is a digital archive bringing together over 20,000 images of objects, books, letters, aerial photographs and other items from museums, libraries and record offices in Wales. It includes an extensive selection of items related to the First World War, including links to the In association with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Supported by the Veterans Policy Unit Welsh National War Memorial.
www.awm.gov.au
The Australian War Memorial is a unique site that combines a memorial shrine, a world-class museum, and an extensive archive. The museum’s website features extensive archive material related to Australian involvement in conflict throughout the 20th Century, an easy to use encyclopaedia tool, online exhibitions, and the official histories of Australia in the two World Wars, as well as a range of educational activities for learners of all ages. Useful for gaining a different perspective on the First World War.
www.warmuseum.ca
The Canadian War Museum presents Canada's military past and how it has shaped the country. Its exhibitions explain Canada’s rich military history from earliest times to the present, emphasizing the human experience of war in order to explain the impact of organized human conflict on Canada and Canadians past and present. The museum’s website features digital collections, the military history centre research catalogue and educational toolkits.
www.aucklandmuseum.com/10/war-memorial
Auckland War Memorial Museum is both a museum and a site of commemoration for New Zealanders who have died in war, based in Auckland, New Zealand. The Museum houses two halls of memory within which the names of all those killed in major conflicts of the twentieth century are recorded and remembered. The Cenotaph and consecrated ground in front of the Museum are a touchstone of remembrance every Anzac Day. The museum’s website features an online book of remembrance, information about the museum’s collections and archive material, and the Cenotaph database featuring biographical information about New Zealanders who have died in war from the Nineteenth Century to the present day.
Get Involved – Places to Visit and Activities across the UK
www.theirpastyourfuture.org.uk
Their Past Your Future is an innovative learning programme, led by the Imperial War Museum and supported by the Big Lottery Fund. It uses historical sites, museums, veterans and eyewitnesses to war to increase young people’s understanding and appreciation of history, remembrance, commemoration, national identity and civic participation today.
www.iwm.org.uk
The Imperial War Museum is the national museum of the experiences of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since 1914. It is an educational and historical institution responsible for archives, collections and sites of outstanding national importance. The Museum’s five branches include Imperial War Museum London which houses the award-winning Holocaust exhibition; the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast; the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, housed in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall; Imperial War Museum Duxford, a world renowned aviation and heritage complex in Cambridgeshire; and Imperial War Museum North, one of the most talked-about museums in the UK, in Trafford Manchester. All visits are free for school groups where the students are up to 16 years. Concessions apply to groups of 16 years and over.
www.armedforcesday.org.uk
The annual Armed Forces Day is on 26 June next year, and is an opportunity for the nation to show our support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community.
The Armed Forces Day website offers teachers and pupils the opportunity to discover more about Armed Forces Day and how they can get involved in supporting it in schools and across communities.
www.nms.ac.uk/war/home/index.asp
The National War Museum of Scotland, based in Edinburgh, explores Scotland's experience of war and military service since 1600, and features dedicated exhibitions and a range of educational resources.
www.rafmuseum.org
The Royal Air Force Museum London has a world-class collection of aircraft displayed at the historic site of The London Aerodrome, founded by Claude Grahame-White in 1910. The site played an important operational role in both World Wars and as RAF Hendon was the site of the great Hendon Air shows of the inter-war period. The RAF Museum is open from 10.00 -18.00 daily and admission is free. The museum also provides a range of educational activities for schools.
www.national-armymuseum.ac.uk
The National Army Museum’s purpose is to explain the impact that the British Army has had on the character of Britain, Europe and the wider world. The museum has always offered its exhibitions, galleries, and a public events programme to the public free of charge. An important aspect of the Museum’s work is to support the remembrance of those who have lived and died in the service of the nation. The museum also has a range of educational offers for schools and lifelong learners.
www.royalnavalmuseum.org
The Royal Naval Museum, in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard, is one of Britain’s oldest maritime museums. The Museum’s mission is to preserve and present the history of the 'Fleet' - the ships and the men and women who manned them, and to record and illustrate the traditions and history of the Naval Service. The museum offers a learning programme that includes a range of activities for adults and community groups, families, schools and teachers, and higher education students and tutors.
www.rnsubmus.co.uk
The Royal Navy Submarine Museum traces the history of submarine development, from Alexander the Great to the giant nuclear powered Vanguard class of the present day peacekeepers. The Museum also serves as the Regimental Headquarters for past submariners. It houses a huge collection of photographs, transcripts, artefacts and archive material, and offers a range of educational sessions for schools.
www.armymuseums.org.uk
This website, approved by the Ministry of Defence, provides a definitive guide to the 136 official regimental and corps museums of the British Army throughout the United Kingdom. Many of these small museums illustrate the local and regional impact of war.
