Author: Larissa Allwork

Dr Tudor Georgescu’s Centre for Hidden Histories exhibition, ‘Beyond the Western Front: Oxfordshire in the First World War’ is currently being displayed at The Glass Tank, Oxford Brooks (18 November – 16 December 2016). This exhibition is an exploration of the First World War involvement of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry battalion and the Queens Own Oxfordshire in military actions in Ireland, Italy, the Balkans, the Middle East and Russia. Coalescing with the participatory ethos of the AHRC First World War Engagement Centres, the exhibition is the result of research conducted by fourteen local people, museum volunteers and Oxford Brookes students.  These project participants are: Jeff Clements, Jane Cotter, Louisa Fagan, Jim Grundy, Peter Johnston, Shelia King, Mark McKay, Jean Mills, Kevin Northover, Paul Otter, John Sheldon, Kathleen Tunnicliffe, Steve Warner and Janet Witcomb.

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Centre for Hidden Histories Co-Investigator, Professor Mike Heffernan (Geography, University of Nottingham) has been working with community partner, Satvinder Panasear and the community Learning team at Leicester City Council to realise the Ramgharia Sikh Tapestry Project. Bringing together a tapestry making team from Leicester’s Sikh community, the multi paneled embroidered tapestry which is currently being completed, depicts images representing Sikh involvement in the First World War.  The project aims to empower Sikh ladies from Leicester Gurdwara, encourage life-long learning and historical research as well as more broadly, raise awareness of the history of the First World War in the Sikh community. In addition, the project seeks to renew the skills of women in Leicester’s textile industry and connect diverse communities.

The project has received media coverage on BBC Radio Leicester (February 2015), Sahib International Panjabi Magazine (October 2015) and on international Sikh TV channel, Sangat (October 2015).  One of the tapestry’s panels will be inspired by the famous peacock dress worn by Lady Curzon at the 1903 Delhi Durbar.  This dress will be featured in an upcoming special exhibition at Kedlestone Hall, a heritage site which the Sikh ladies have visited as part of their project.

Here are some images of the tapestry making process in action! We look forward to seeing the completed work in 2017.

 

On 22nd November 2016, Impact Fellow, Dr Larissa Allwork and Community Liaison Officer, Mike Noble visited Dr Lee Humber at Ruskin College, Oxford to find out about the progress of Humber’s collaborative project with Jess Tilling, coordinator at learning disability self-advocacy group, My Life My Choice (MLMC). Humber, a sociologist and learning disability historian is working with Tilling, a team of researchers with learning disabilities and their supporters in order to investigate what happened to former residents of what were known during the First World War era as ‘imbecile asylums’ in Oxfordshire and other local regions.  The project seeks to find biographical traces of individuals with learning disabilities who may have left to join the army or who otherwise contributed to the 1914-1918 conflict.  The project is entitled, ‘The Hidden History of the Labour Corps in the First World War:  Contributions to the War Effort Made by People with Learning Disabilities’.

The MLMC group have already participated in workshops at Ruskin College and have explored archival materials held at the Oxfordshire History Centre (St Luke’s Church, Cowley).  In the New Year, they are planning further research trips to the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock and the Imperial War Museum, London.