Russian Revolution - Representation Two

Was the British Empire in India a good thing or a bad thing?

This page links you to the National Archive site on the British Empire where you can look at documents about the time Britain ruled India.
FLO

Your task is to study these documents and any other sources you can find about the British Empire in India, sometimes called the Raj.

Then decide your own answer to the question
'Was British India a good thing or a bad thing?'
Of course the Empire had different effects on different people - Indian peasants, richer Indians, women, British officers, workers in Britain..... On balance, though, was it good or bad?

Your answer can be an essay, a presentation, a display, a film or any format you choose. You must, however, back up the points you make with evidence from the sources.

You will find the links below.

The National Archive site on the British Empire.

A. Living in the Empire.

British views.

Indian views.

B. Rise and fall.

The rise of Empire.

The end of Empire.

Children of the Great War

BBC First World War site
National Archives First World War site
First World War National Archives Exhibition
Indian soldiers
Black soldiers look book - Britain, USA, France, Germany
US black soldiers
American black soldiers in WW1
The war in Eastern Europe
Romanian
Turkish


Horrible Histories:

Empire soldiers
Christmas football match
Winter and food
Battle of the Somme
First day and wee wee

LOCAL HERO: Walter Tull

Walter Tull was the second Black (mixed race) professional footballer in Britain and played for Clapton (which later became Leyton Orient) and Tottenham Hotspur before the First World War. He served as an officer in the war and was killed in action in Flanders just before the war ended in 1918.

To piece together his remarkable story go to

Walter's War (TV dramatisation)

Black footballers

Crossing the white line

National archives

Spartacus

100 Great Black Britons

Channel 4
Football unites, racism divides
Walter Tull, forgotten hero (TV documentary)
The Guardian
Daily Mail


BLACK AND ASIAN SOLDIERS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR - a webquest

(Click on the heading above for the link)

World War One games

Excellent World War One trench fighting game.

BBC trench warfare game

Great War game

Dogfight Aces

Penalty Shootout 1

Penalty Shootout 2


Walk the Plank 1

Walk the Plank 2

Walk the Plank 3

From Leyton to the trenches...

Many boys from Farmer Road School ended up fighting in the Great War from 1914 to 1918.






LOCAL HERO: Jack Cornwell V.C.
Jack Cornwell lived in Leyton and came to this school briefly before his family moved. Later he became very famous as a 16-year-old winner of the Victoria Cross. What was his story? Open the file here and find the answers to the questions. Remember to save your work.
(The links to find the answers are on the question sheet. They can also be found below:

wikipedia

find a grave

royal naval museum

The plaque
Outside room 3.7 in the Top Hall there is a plaque with the names of boys from Farmer Road School who lost their lives. What were their stories? Where did they live? What regiment were they in? Where and how did they die? Where are they buried?

You can find out by going to the Commonwealth War Grave Commission.

Here are the steps to follow:

(a) Choose any name from this list: ALGER George; BEVAN Lawrence Edward; BOLAM Stanley; BULTITUDE William Thomas; BREEDEN H C; CAMPLING Albert;
CORBLE Albert Arthur; CORNWELL John Travers (VC); CROUCHER Alfred Horace; CHILDS William Charles; DODKIN RWG; FITZGERALD Leonard William; ISEARD Harry; LORING S T; MATTHEWS E O J; PERRY G A; PLEASANTS Arthur Joseph; STEVENS R R; STURMAN Stanley Arthur Bertram; PARTINGTON Reginald Charles; PARTINGTON Frederick James

(b) Now enter the details as follows:

Surname: the first name in capitals above
Initials: the first initial
War: World War 1
Year of Death: from 1914 to 1918
Force: unknown
Nationality: United Kingdom

(c) You will probably get several names. Look for clues to decide which is the Farmer Road boy: the first name, the address, whether it is a London or Essex regiment.

(d) Create a PowerPoint slide about the boy and his story.

(e) Look for another story....

Some other things you can do:

Did any of these young men live near where you live now? (perhaps you could remember them when you next walk past their houses, if they still exist….)
Did the information suggest any special stories?
Which family had a double blow in 1918 and why are the bodies not buried?
Try entering your own name or the name of someone you know and see what happens.

How did the Great War affect people in Britain?

Here are links to helpful sites. The easier ones come first.

Consequences of the war.
The Home Front.
The Food Queue.
Civilians at War
The Human Face of War.
The Home Front 1914-18
Women on the Home Front
Women and the Military
British Home Front - scroll down to First World War: British Home Front
Mass Politics