National Museums Liverpool Blog - Monday, March 26, 2012

To get involved all you have to do is switch off your lights for one hour! More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour 2011. 

The lights at the following landmarks were also switched off in 2011: Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, The Forbidden City, Buckingham Palace, Golden Gate Bridge and Christ the Redeemer statue. 

It is hoped that this event sends a powerful message for action on climate change and shows how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.  

For more information on this inspiring event visit the Earth Hour website.

Tomorrow, is our First World War Family History Day at the Museum of Liverpool, and you may know that we have been blogging all week about WWI soldiers from the city. Today, we're featuring Captain Noel Chavasse, who was the only soldier in WWI to receive the honour of the Victoria Cross twice.

Captain Noel Chavasse won the Victoria Cross twice

The son of the Bishop of Liverpool, Noel was twice awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) and was the most highly decorated British serviceman in the First World War.

Dr Noel Chavasse was a medical doctor, who left behind his work at the call of King and Country in the autumn of 1914. Although he was an officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps, he was attached to the Liverpool Scottish - joining as second Medial Officer - and threw his whole heart and soul into the duty of caring for the men in his unit.

He was promoted to the rank of Captain, and awarded his first VC at Guillemont in 1916, for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. During an attack, he attended the wounded in the open for two days under heavy fire, frequently in view of the enemy. Altogether he saved the lives of some twenty badly wounded men.

He was awarded the VC again at Passchendaele. Though severely wounded early in the action whilst carrying a wounded soldier to the dressing station he refused to leave his post, and for two days not only continued to perform his duties but in addition went out repeatedly under heavy fire to search for and attend to wounded who were lying out. During these searches, though practically without food during this period, worn with fatigue and faint with his wound, he assisted to carry in a number of badly wounded men over heavy and difficult ground.

By his extraordinary energy and inspiring example he was instrumental in rescuing many wounded who would have otherwise undoubtedly succumbed under the bad weather conditions. This devoted and gallant officer subsequently died of his wounds in August 1917.

A Liverpool bombardier, who was with him all day on July the 31st, wrote:

"Gee! He did work! I was beginning to think he was not human, because nothing made him flinch or duck. The first wound that he received was in the head, and all he did was to take his tin hat off, jammed there, put a bandage around his head, and carry on. This he did all day and all night until the next wound he got, in the side, did for him. By Jove, it didn't half cut up the boys, because a man like that is not made to be killed. He is a hero of heroes. A V.C. is too small a reward for such a man."

He is commemorated on the war memorial in :
Liverpool College Junior School, Queens Drive, Sefton Park
Unidentified Memorial (now in Slaughterhouse Pub 13 Fenwick St)
Liverpool Cricket & Rugby Clubs, now in Liverpool Cricket Club, Aigburth Rd
Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, War memorial transept
Liverpool University, Victoria Hall, Brownlow Hill

Today, we're looking at the story of Captain Frank Watson, in the run up to our First World War Family History Day at the Museum of Liverpool on Saturday.

Frank Watson originally signed up to the 17th Pals Battalion in Liverpool.

Lord Derby came up with the idea of bringing together men who worked and socialised in a fighting regiment to appeal to more men to ‘sign up’.

The response to the first adverts was so great, that Lord Derby was able to form two battalions, and by mid-October a second advertisement appealing for recruits meant that there were a total of four ‘Liverpool Pals’ battalions, and two reserve battalions. They were officially known as the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th Service Battalions of the King’s Regiment, Liverpool.

Excelling in his army career in the 17th Battalion, Frank Watson received a temporary officer’s commission and transferred to the 22nd Manchester Pals as Captain.

In April 1917, having returned to the Front after recovering from a previous wound, Frank was fatally wounded.

This is our second blog post in a series leading up to our World War One Family History Day at the Museum of Liverpool this Saturday, 24 March. Today, we look at the story of the Turner Brothers, William and Fred.

William and Fred Turner signed up as Officers to the Liverpool Scottish Battalion. William can be seen here on the far right.

Lieutenants William and Fred Turner were born in Ullet Road, Liverpool, to parents Jessie and William. Both attended the local Greenbank School, and went on to become successful sportsmen in cricket, rugby and football at Sedbergh School, Yorkshire before following in their father’s footsteps and joining the printing firm Turner & Dunnett, of which their father was Senior Partner.
The boys were among the first to ‘sign up’ and both joined the Liverpool Scottish Battalion as officers.

Fred, the younger of the two sons, was the first to go abroad arriving at the Front on 2 November, 1914. His brother William was still in England when Fred was killed within a few weeks of arriving in Belgium on January 10th, 1915, while inspecting barbed wire entanglements in front of his Platoon. He was age 26.

His Commanding Officer said in a letter:

"Fred was a gallant fellow, a universal favourite and the idol of the men under his command. His ever cheery manner and courageous bearing under all conditions endeared him to all his comrades. One of his fellow officers remarked to me that Fred Turner, above all men he had ever met, was one in whom it was impossible to find a fault, and I heartily endorse this opinion."

A Private wrote of him :

"His first thought was always of his men; when their spirits were inclined to droop he rallied them and joked with them, though he always took upon himself the most dangerous and disagreeable duties. A sniper who had tracked him along the trench picked him off."

His older brother William left for the Front straight after Fred’s memorial service two weeks later, and at the request of the men, took his brother’s command. Five months later, he too was killed leading his men in the charge of the Liverpool Scottish on June 16 1915, aged 31.

It was a day that the Liverpool Scottish underwent a terrible ordeal of fire at Hooge, when many men fell in a charge that broke the German lines. A German trench had just been captured, when a heavy shell burst, killing the men and Lieutenant William Turner.

The Rev. Alexander Connell, in an eloquent address at the Memorial Service said: “"He stepped without fuss, and at once, into his fallen brother's place. He won the affection and confidence of his men. Some of them, who have also fallen, had sworn, as we know, that for his sake, as for his brother's, if any hour of peril called them they should be found by his side, living or dead.”

Captain Noel Chavasse, Lord Derby and The King were among those who sent letters of condolence to the Turner family.

Child emigrants on the ship Rangitoto, on their way from England to New Zealand in 1951

The exhibition was a collaborative venture between us and the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, bringing in to focus the experiences of many thousands of British children who were sent to Canada, Australia and other Commonwealth countries between 1869 and 1967.

It opened in Sydney in November 2010 and is currently touring various museums around Australia. Unfortunately it is unlikely to go on display in the UK, but we developed an accompanying website which reflects all the content – so do have a look if you haven’t already done so. The message board has received a tremendous response, with many people sharing personal stories.

Tony himself is a former child migrant; he was sent to New Zealand in 1951, aged 9. He was one of the luckier ones as he was adopted by a loving family who provided him with a full and happy life. In 1965 he travelled back to Britain and had an emotional reunion with his birth mother. During his stay he met and married Maria, and in 1967 they embarked from Liverpool to travel the world, before settling back in New Zealand. In 1994 they returned to Britain and moved to Hemel Hempstead, the town of his birth, where they have been ever since.

Tony has written about his life and a few years ago he was interviewed for a documentary 'The boy in the lifebuoy', produced by Sejal Deshpande. The film, in which Tony reflects on his early life, can be viewed on the Oral histories page of the exhibition website.

He is currently busy working on a book in which he will tell his story, alongside experiences of other child migrants that he has asked to contribute.

'The boy in the lifebuoy' is a phrase of great significance for Tony and stems from his journey to New Zealand when he was 9 years old. A photograph was taken of Tony and the other children in his group on the deck of the ship Rangitoto. In it you can see Tony sitting holding the lifebuoy, in which his face is framed. This holds a special symbolism for Tony to this day, as you can see in the photo below that he sent me following our meeting.

To coincide with the exhibition, we also added a small display about Britain's child migrants to our permanent Emigrants to a New World gallery. The display includes archive material and features a trunk that belonged to William Kelly, a child migrant from Liverpool, who sailed to Canada in 1925, aged 15. The trunk was donated to us in 2010. You can find out more about William Kelly on our website.

Tony Chambers visiting Liverpool in 2012

Tiny the dinosaur © LosKaos Limited 2002-2010

Want to get involved in some free pre-historic hysterics this weekend?

On Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 March between 1-4.30pm you will have the opportunity to meet Tiny, a juvenile Stegosaurus at World Museum.

Tiny has wowed audiences up and down the country and the animated dinosaur is set to do the same in Liverpool. Using a combination of live sound, facial animatronics and extreme puppetry Tiny will really come to life.

The dinosaur will also be accompanied by a palaeontologist who will give a lively and informative natural history show. You will be encouraged to ‘get tactile’ with Tiny and have a go at being palaeontologists yourselves.

If this Jurassic giant isn’t enough there is also an exhibition of amazing life-sized moving dinosaurs in Age of the Dinosaur. On until 15 April 2012 you can experience the sights, sounds and smells of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The admission charge for Age of the Dinosaur is £6 adults, £3 children and concessions, under 5s free, £14 families. Book online at www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/dinosaurs

Tiny the stegosaur is brought to Liverpool by interactive street artists, Los Kaos.

Craft session in the Anthony Walker Education Centre at the International Slavery Musuem. Copyright Pete Carr

Hello,

I have been a trustee of the Anthony Walker Foundation for several years, an organisation established by Anthony’s family following his racially-motivated murder in July 2005.
 
The mission of the Foundation is to promote equality and diversity through education, sport and arts events and to support law enforcement agencies and local communities to reduce hate crime and build safe cohesive communities.

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the AWF released the following statement:

From the harassment and name-calling that can make life so unbearable for many children and their families, businesses and communities; to the most heinous murders driven by hate. Our thoughts are with the families of the adults and children who have been murdered in France this month in what are being described as ‘racist and anti-semitic attacks’.

A recent UK study found that almost 40% of polled British National Party supporters believe that armed conflict between ethnic, racial or religious groups could be justifiable. We work to help our young people to see through the messages of hate wrapped up in seemingly justifiable talk of immigration, terrorism and unemployment.

In the UK over one million young people are unemployed and recent estimates are that 55% of young Black men are out of work.

The riots last year hardened media portrayals and gave credence to beliefs that young people, particularly those from inner cities were ‘feral’ criminals. We heard and saw the racial stereotypes in media coverage regarding young people’s involvement in these riots and disturbances. What AWF heard and witnessed was also targeted abuse of black and minority ethnic communities both with words and with actions during this time.

This day set aside by the United Nations, provides a focus for people all around the globe to take collective responsibility to work to eradicate all forms of racial discrimination.

It brings the work of the Anthony Walker Foundation into sharp focus. We are challenging racial discrimination alongside all other forms of prejudice to make our communities and our society a better and stronger one; not only for our generation but for all generations to come.

Join us in our pledge to challenge racial discrimination, no matter how big or how small - do something, say something.

The Anthony Walker Foundation and the Greenhouse Project are joining forces to bring a surprise flash mob to Liverpool One Shopping District (Paradise Street) at some point between 12 and 12.15 Wednesday 21st March.

Listen out for the music and get your dancing shoes ready...

Not sure I will be able to make it but if I was there I would give it a try!

Bye for now

David Jones was awarded the Victoria Cross for his outstanding bravery

In the run up to our First World War Family History Day at the Museum of Liverpool on Saturday, we’ll be sharing a few stories from our collection about soldiers who fought in World War I.

Today’s story is about David Jones, VC.

David Jones, from Smithdown Lane in Edge Hill, enlisted in 1915 and was soon promoted to Sergeant.

When the officers from his platoon were killed during the battle for Guillemont, Jones took control. Jones and his men captured a key road into the village and held it for two days and nights without food or water. On the second day they drove back three enemy attacks.

Extract from the London Gazette, No. 29802 dated 24 October 1916:

“For most conspicuous bravery, devotion to duty, and ability displayed in the handling of his platoon. The platoon to which he belonged was ordered to a forward position, and during the advance came under heavy machine gun fire, the officer being killed and the platoon suffering heavy losses Serjt. Jones led-forward the remainder, occupied the position, and held it for two days and two nights without food or water, until relieved. On the second day he drove back three counter-attacks, inflicting heavy losses. His coolness was most praiseworthy. It was due entirely to his resource and example that his men retained confidence and held their post.”

Unnamed private from 12th Battalion, King’s Liverpool Regiment, 1916:

“Nothing could dismay him. At times there was enough to make one’s heart sink to the boots, but Sergeant Jones was as chipper as could be.”

David Jones was awarded the Victoria Cross for his outstanding bravery. He was killed the following month. He never wore his medal. His widow, Elizabeth, collected it from King George V in 1917. His Victoria Cross is on display in the Waterfront to Western Front special exhibition in The People’s Republic gallery. You can read about the Victoria Cross being donated to our permanent collections in a past blog.

The City Soldier's gallery features collections from The King's Regiment, and a range of helmets to try on. (c) Mark McNulty

This Saturday, 24 March, the Museum of Liverpool will be hosting a free First World War family history event to help people with their search into relatives who served in the war.

The Museum looks after the collections of The King’s Regiment in the City Soldiers gallery, which focuses on the long history of the regiment and its relationship with Liverpool. Created in 1685, The King’s Regiment is one of Britain’s oldest regiments. It has been Liverpool’s regiment since 1881, and is now amalgamated into the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment. 

We have many stories to tell about the men who served with The King’s in the First World War, which are on show in our Waterfront to Western Front special exhibition, and the City Soldiers gallery. We’ll be sharing a few stories this week in the run up to Saturday and today’s story is about David Jones, VC.

If you’re interested in finding out more, come down to the Museum of Liverpool on Saturday between 10am and 4pm, where there will be a range of family friendly activities on offer throughout the day. There will be arts and crafts for our younger visitors, performances and role players, along with talks from experts and historians and a number of local societies who will be on hand to assist with family history research.

Visitors will be able to gain access to a research database, which contains the biographical details of over 76,000 men who served in the King’s Regiment during the First World War, and experts will be available to speak to from:

• National Museums Liverpool
• The Western Front Association
• Liverpool Family History Society
• Liverpool Record Office
• The Liverpool Pals 
• The King’s Regiment Association

John Moran, demonstrator from World Museum's planetarium, on an exciting event taking place this Friday 23 March at Sudley House:

Sudley House's uninterrupted view of horizon offers good platform for stargazing.

One night, several different types of telescope, binoculars and the whole night sky to explore. Sound good? Then come and join us for an evening of celestial fun.

Staff at the planetarium will be running this event in conjunction with Dark Sky Discovery who have awarded us a grant of £1500, which is nice of them, with the aim of increasing people’s awareness of the night sky.

We have decided to run this event at Sudley House as there are uninterrupted views to the horizon, much less light pollution and if it's clear gives us the scope (no pun intended) to see more of the sky then we would normally have from the level 5 balcony at World Museum.

By the way, we will be utilising the terrace and rose garden area of the grounds so please don’t wear your best Jimmy Choo’s or your Louboutins, that includes the guys. Please wear suitable footwear and dress warm.

We will have a wide range of telescopes for your viewing pleasure and to give you some idea of the difference between a reflecting and refracting telescope. It gives us so called experts the chance to show off our knowledge of the night sky because as well as telescopes and binoculars to look through we will also be doing some naked eye observing and giving you some tips on how to find your way around the constellations. Don’t worry its not as daunting as you think, plus we'll be putting out some information sheets to take home with you!

There will also be some simple crafts like badge making and colouring in for the little ones and there will also be limited access to Sudley House so you can get yourself a cuppa and a sandwich if you like.

The event is open to the public but, working with the Communities team, we are also hoping to bring in groups from across the city.

So if you fancy close-up views of Jupiter, Venus and Mars as well as a whole array of celestial treasures join us from 6.30pm-8.00pm on Friday 23rd March at Sudley House and grounds; I bet we can amaze you!

In the event of bad weather we will have to postpone the event until the following Friday (30th March) when we will hold it from 7.30-9.30pm. Please keep an eye on the website for updates.