From Beef Tea to Battleships

GUILDHALL

Guildhall Library presents a programme of events and exhibitions to commemorate the centenary The Library of London History of the First World War.

LIBRARY 4 AUGUST-12 NOVEMBER 2014

FROM BEEF TEA TO BATTLESHIPS: REMEMBERING THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Guildhall Library

UK - tripadvisor.co.uk

Aldermanbury, London EC2V 7HH 020 7332 1868 / 020 7332 1870 guildhall.library@cityoflondon.gov.uk www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/guildhalllibrary Follow

GUILDHALL

LIBRARY

The Library of London History

All events take place at Guildhall Library

EXHIBITIONS

FROM BEEF TEA THE REMEMBRANCE TO BATTLESHIPS: IMAGE PROJECT 4 August – 12 November PERSONAL STORIES FREE FROM THE FIRST WORLD WAR 4 August – 12 November FREE

Guildhall Library examines the personal accounts and experiences of individuals, including ‘Boy’, who served on the first submarines in the British Navy during the war and wrote to his mother almost every week. On display will be letters, medals and other personal effects.

A WW1 bugle will be displayed in this exhibition, as part of the Horniman Museum and Gardens’ Object in Focus project, funded by Arts Council England.

For the centenary of the First World War, photographer Simon Gregor has been taking pictures of sites associated with the conflict at the anniversary of when they saw action, aiming to capture the spirit and emotion of each location. On display are photographs from the research phase of the project.

Detail from the Memorial at Thiepval. © Simon Gregor

A British submarine at Reval, frozen in during the winter, courtesy of Claire Scott

Poppies in a French Field. Š Simon Gregor

FREE

IMAGES OF REMEMBRANCE 6 August, 2-3pm

EVENTS

POPPY 4 August – 12 November

Rebecca Louise Law is best known for her interactive large-scale installations. Poppy is made of thousands of Poppy Appeal paper flowers, forming a floral sky reaching to the floor, encouraging viewers to consider what the poppy represents and to pick a flower. All proceeds go to the Royal British Legion.

booking essential via ghlevents.eventbrite.co.uk FREE

The Remembrance Image Project is focused on photographing First World War sites at the time of the centenary of the conflict.

Photographer Simon Gregor will show some of the images from the poignant locations he has visited and share the stories behind them.

All archive images courtesy of Carol Chaplin

Battlefield © Simon Gregor

EVENTS

FIRST WORLD WAR MEMORIALS IN LONDON 2 September, 2-3pm booking essential via ghlevents.eventbrite.co.uk FREE

Although in 2014 some World War I war memorials will receive extra attention, often they go unnoticed.

Blue Badge guide Tim Kidd will use pictures to draw attention to their beauty and symbolism and prompt us to give them a second glance and consider their meaning for us today.

© Tim Kidd

A PRACTICAL INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL SLR PHOTOGRAPHY 3 September, 10am-4.30pm

£50 per person, booking essential via ghlevents.eventbrite.co.uk

To complement his WWI centenary project, The Remembrance Image Project, photographer Simon Gregor leads this workshop for beginners in digital photography. The course will cover composition, how to create engaging images, and some of the key exposure functions such as shutter speed, aperture and ISO, with practical work outside using the City as the subject.

© Horniman Museum and Garden

WORLD WAR ONE AND THE BANK OF ENGLAND 18 September, 6-8pm £5 plus booking fee, including a wine reception, booking essential via ghlevents.eventbrite.co.uk

The latest temporary exhibition at the Bank of England Museum looks at the dramatic impact of the Great War on the economy.

This talk at Guildhall Library, by the Museum’s Curator, will explore the response to the economic crisis of 1914, and the effects of the war on the Bank of England and its staff.

BRASS INSTRUMENT MANUFACTURE DURING WORLD WAR ONE 23 September, 6-7pm booking essential via ghlevents.eventbrite.co.uk FREE

Dr Gavin Dixon explores brass instrument manufacture in early 20th-century London, particularly focusing on instruments made for military use during the First World War. This talk, alongside the WW1 bugle displayed at Guildhall Library (4 August-12 November), is part of the Horniman Museum and Gardens’ Object in Focus project, funded by Arts Council England.

All archive images courtesy of Carol Chaplin

EVENTS

FROM BEEF TEA TO BATTLESHIPS – LATE VIEW 8 October, 6-8pm

£8 plus booking fee, includes a wine and canapé reception, booking essential via ghlevents.eventbrite.co.uk

‘Boy’ joined the Royal Navy in 1912 and died in 1917 while serving on a submarine in the Baltic based in Russia. His story is told through his surviving letters home, enhanced by photographs and offers a rare insight into the life of a naval rating harassing German shipping lines. Join Claire Scott to hear more and attend a special late view of the exhibition which features his personal experiences.

All archive images courtesy of Carol Chaplin

THE CRYSTAL PALACE AT WAR 14 October, 2-3pm FREE, booking essential via ghlevents.eventbrite.co.uk

As well as highlighting the Palace’s importance during the First World War, this illustrated talk by Barrie McKay covers the Crystal Palace’s connections with the Crimean, Boar and even the Second World War, despite the destruction of the Palace by fire in 1936.

A WAR OF LETTERS 16 October, 6-8pm

£5 plus booking fee, including a wine reception, booking essential via ghlevents.eventbrite.co.uk

Throughout the First World War the Post Office adapted to become messenger and censor. This talk explores the effect on communication and letter writing.

From the Field Service Postcard to the Honour Envelope, from the official notification of a loved one missing in action to the heart wrenching last letters received, join British Postal Museum and Archive Curator Emma Harper on a journey to discover a war of letters.

WAR GIRLS – POETRY AND PROSE BY WOMEN IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR 28 October, 2-3pm FREE, booking essential via ghlevents.eventbrite.co.uk

Ruth Sillers, with fellow actress Maggie Mash, will discuss and perform extracts from her audiobook compilation, ‘War Girls’, a commemoration of the remarkable experiences of women told in their own words.

Some are the writings of well-known poets and novelists but many are of ordinary women in extraordinary times.

British soldiers sorting through mail and reading letters outside the field post office Holkham, 1914.

1© The British Postal Museum & Archive

GUILDHALL

LIBRARY

Front cover image: Curious Addresses sent to the Tolhurst family to celebrate the end of the First World War. © The British Postal Museum & Archive

The Library of London History

FIRST WORLD WAR MERCHANDISE

Guildhall Library will be stocking a range of First World War merchandise – please visit the shop in the library or check our website for more details. 10% of profits will go to the Royal British Legion.

TREET

BOW L ANE STREE

T

R LA

AN ST

OLD JEW RY

IRONMONGE

POULTR Y

TORIA N VIC

QUEE

Mansion House

UK - tripadvisor.co.uk

Aldermanbury, London EC2V 7HH 020 7332 1868 / 020 7332 1870 guildhall.library@cityoflondon.gov.uk www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/guildhalllibrary Follow

ST

IDE

KING STREET

MIL

K ST

ET

CHEAPS WATLIN G

COLEM

BASING HALL S

GUILDHALL

LIBRARY HAM STRE

GRES

MOOR GATE

T

RY NBU

RMA

LA

ALDE

WOOD S

BASINGHALL AVE

LOVE

St Paul’s

Moorgate

CE’S

Guildhall Library

LONDON WALL

PRIN

4 AUGUST-12 NOVEMBER 2014

FROM BEEF TEA TO BATTLESHIPS: REMEMBERING THE FIRST WORLD WAR

ST

BANK

Bank