2013-2014 Archive

P4 Trip to Palace Stables

In preparation for our World Around Us topic - " Life in the Recent Past" which includes the war years, P4 made a visit to the Palace Stables in Armagh. We were evacuees for the day and enjoyed a day steeped in the 1940's! We started off with an interactive discussion about how WW2 actually started which was very informative. After this we entered a 1940's school room - very different to our own where children were "seen and not heard". Here we made our identity cards and personal labels which would have been with us at all times on our evacuation. Following this we met the evacuation officer Mr Percy, who told us all about how and why evacuation took place. He also told us about the importance of "black outs" for homes and air raid shelters to keep us safe from German bombs. We even visited an air raid shelter in the grounds of the Palace Stables. Our final visit was to "Bo" the GI soldier from Texas who from historical records, was actually stationed at the Argory during WW2 and often at Armagh driving his commanding officer to important meetings. We finished off the day with an interactive information session looking at the contents of an evacuee's suitcase and learning about what life was like in homes during the war as well as looking at gas masks for babies and children. We enjoyed a picnic lunch before heading back to school. This day has really made us excited for all that we will be studying in World Around Us! While it was great fun we are all glad however, that we live in 2014 and not 1940!