NOV 2021
history
Table of Contents Bonfire Night
Words and Illustrations by Anna Stone
Remembrance Day
Words and Illustrations by Margarita Louka
Cover and Endpapers: Indigo Branscombe Editor: Anna Stone
Illustrations By: Anna Stone
By: Anna Stone
Bonfire Night
“Remember, Remember, the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!” This chant has haunted the past several hundred years, on the 5th of November, when surrounded by fireworks. Bonfire Night, as a historic celebration, is due to a man called Guy Fawkes, who, along with a group of other men, led by Robert Catesby, attempted to burn down the House of Lords in 1605, during the State Opening of Parliament. This affair would have King James I, the Queen, church leaders, and assorted nobles inside. They had 36 kegs of gunpowder in a cellar under the House of Lords, where they were going to set them alight and burn the place down. The plot was stopped when the Catholic Lord Monteagle was sent a message to warn him about what would happen and to stay away. Four of the co-conspirators, including the leader Robert Catesby, were killed when trying to flea, after hearing about the plot’s discovery. However, Guy Fawkes continued to pursue the plot, and was found with the gunpowder, a box of matches and a guilty facial expression. Guy Fawkes was tortured and gave up the eight remaining names of the people involved, who, along with him, were tried and executed for High Treason. The halt to the Gunpowder Plot has been commemorated for many years afterwards, starting off as special sermons and public events, which later evolved into what we celebrate as Bonfire Night today, with fireworks. As someone who was born on the 5th of November, I have a close connection to the occasion. Despite being British, I was mostly brought up in Germany where it is not celebrated. Therefore, I missed out on
the fireworks for many years, with fireworks being the typical way to celebrate the event. Only until I moved to the UK did I enjoy them on my birthday. I find it a fun privilege to be able to have, despite the circumstance we are remembering. In some towns, they have giant bonfires where people would gather together to celebrate. However, most commonly it is celebrated with fireworks, with either people having their own fireworks parties in their gardens, or going to public fireworks displays that are organised by their local council. It is now generally seen as a celebration where people can have a fun night, despite the origins sometimes being forgotten. In reflection, it is an interesting event to still celebrate to this day, but a fun way to come together and have some fun.
By: Margarita Louka
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is observed on the 11th of November. It was initially observed in 1919 to commemorate the end of World War One, but nowadays it is a day to remember armed forces who lost their lives during World War One, World War Two and modern conflicts. It is observed in the UK, and both outside and inside the Commonwealth. In the UK, the parade takes place on Remembrance Sunday, which falls on the second weekend of November. I was aware of Remembrance Day before I lived in the UK, but I never saw it commemorated until I saw the Remembrance Day parade near the War Memorial in Bournemouth Gardens. Immediately I felt very attached to this parade and this topic. I have always been into history and I vividly remember studying the world wars and war poets in school. As I was exploring Bournemouth Gardens, I couldn’t help but notice that the war memorial was quite sombre and out of place in the
middle of the gardens. It seemed like a block of grey in a sea of bright plants and flowers. I was inspired to take matters into my own hands and turned the solemn war memorial into a celebratory one, to convey the idea of lasting peace after conflict. I needed a symbol to express this message, and poppies were the obvious choice. Poppies are worn on Remembrance Day as they are the flowers that grew on battlefields after the end of World War One. With a very clear vision in mind, I set out to imagine what the war memorial would have been like had it been encroached by poppies. These images are the result of a series of experiments of closeups from my imagined restoration of the war memorial. Every year on Remembrance Sunday I recall memories of this parade. I hope I took the atmosphere of the parade and gave the war memorial a new life!
Illustrations By: Margarita Louka
Illustrations By: Margarita Louka
Copyright © 2021 by Indigo Branscombe, Margarita Louka, and Anna Stone. All rights reserved. This publication or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, copied, reprinted, reworked, redistributed, or used in any manner whatsoever without the explicit written permission of the copyright holders.