National Museums Liverpool Blog - Thursday, March 29, 2012

Press assisitant Jo Vickers has been taking a look at what the box of delights that is Sudley House has to offer during the Easter break:

Young visitors enjoy playing with our traditional toys.

Sudley House is having a fashion frenzy this Easter! Budding fashionistas can get crafty and create their own works of art based on the ‘Costume Drama’ exhibition at two free family-friendly events.

With Ladies Day at the races only a couple of weeks away, why not get into the spirit by making your own stylish headwear to take away with you? At ‘Beautiful Bonnets’ from 1-4pm on Wednesday 4 April, you can explore the beautiful costumes in our collection before using a range of collage materials to create your own gorgeous hat!

On Thursday 12 April, be inspired by the stunning exhibition of clothes and accessories from the Jane Austen era to create your very own works of art at ‘Fabulous Fashions’ from 1-4pm.

Both events are suitable for children aged five and over and are absolutely free!

And there’s plenty more to keep the little ones entertained at Sudley House over Easter. Come and explore the Childhood room and find out about children’s toys of the past. There are lots of toys, books and jigsaws to play with, as well!

The exhibition 'Costume Drama: Fashion from 1790 to 1850' runs until 17 June.

One of World Museum’s most prized objects, a rare Mexican deer skin book more than 800 years old, has been investigated by a team of Italian scientists to reveal its secrets.

As well as being the museum’s treasures it is also considered one of the world’s greatest treasures. The priceless object even took pride of place in the Royal Adademy’s 'AZTECS' exhibition in 2002.

The Codex Fejérvary-Mayer dates back to AD 1200-1521 and is an illustrated, painted book. Codices were written in pictograms, rather than words derived from an alphabet.  Histories, genealogies and tribute economies were recorded in the pages. They served both educational and ritual proposes and at the same time, they were objects of great cultural, literary and artistic value.

The scientists carried out a study of the pigments, dyes and binders used in the making of the Codex to provide insights into how it was created. Due to the age and fragility of the object, the expert team did not actually touch the Codex. Instead, they examined it using specialist equipment that got within millimetres of the book.

Although a fragile object it is in remarkably good condition in comparison to other ones. It is of great international importance and there are only two dozen books of this kind in existence. Of these, only half - among them the Codex Fejérvary-Mayer - are likely to be pre-Cortesian (before AD 1521) making this an exceptional window into the pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican world.

Collecting the data took a team of four scientists an entire week, while the assessment of that data will take months, which in turn will generate many years of interpretation and study.  The project promises to be ground breaking, expanding our understanding of this iconic artifact, and we all look forward to learning more in the coming year.

The Codex was carefully studied in order to reveal it's secrets.

The Willet Bruce Tri-Tone steam whistle which was from the ship MV Britannic (1930-1960) is one of the objects which will be on display in the Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story exhibition.

The steam whistles for Olympic and Titanic were the largest ever made at the time and could be heard for over a distance of 11 miles. This whistle is the same type as those found on Olympic and Titanic but it is quarter their size.
It was designed by William Joseph Willet Bruce who was a manager and engineers superintendent of White Star Line’s workshops on Strand Road, Bootle.

The steam whistle, which weighs just over quarter of a ton, was made by local firm Chadburn’s; William Chadburn lived at 15 Beach Lawn, Crosby which was two doors away from Thomas Ismay’s home who was the then chairman of White Star Line.

There were many Liverpool firms involved in supplying fittings and materials for the construction of Olympic and Titanic. One example is Thomas Utley & Company of Silverdale Avenue who made Titanic’s bells and over 1200 portholes each for both ships. You can find out more about the local firms in the book ‘Titanic and Liverpool’ by Dr Alan Scarth which offers an excellent insight into Titanic’s Liverpool links and whose research formed the basis of the content for this exhibition.

Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story exhibition opens 30th March 2012

Bye for now.

Young visitors can join in the fun with animal costumes in Big Art

Oinking, bleating and clucking are not the sounds you expect from a trip to the Walker Art Gallery but this weekend some special guests are set to change all of that.

On Saturday 31 March and Tuesday 3 April a mini farm arrives at the gallery giving our visitors the opportunity to feast their eyes on rabbits alongside the Rubens, Rembrandt and Rossettis.

I have to confess I am most looking forward to the mini pigs but there will also be cute goats and this close to Easter it would be rude to not invite the chickens too.

The mini farm is just one part of a host of activities inspired by animals in art. From the majestic horses of Liverpool-born artist George Stubbs, to the imposing geometric lines and shapes of  Dan Hays’ giant hamster cage in the John Moores Painting Prize winning work, Harmony in Green, the Walker Art Gallery contains plenty of examples of animal-inspired art.

Join us for free events which explore this relationship on the following dates:

Mini farm
Saturday 31 March and Tuesday 3 April 2012
11am – 3pm
Visit our mini farm and meet adorable mini pigs, goats, rabbits and chickens. Visitors can get up close to the animals and then explore the gallery to see if they can spot the same creatures in the artworks using a brand new trail- On the Farm.

Animal Masks
Saturday 31 March, Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 April 2012
11am – 4pm
Art materials are available for families to make their own animal mask to take away.

Storytelling
Saturday 31 March, Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 April 2012
At intervals from 11am
Listen to fun stories about animals in our paintings, sculpture and objects.

Doodle Station
Saturday 31 March, Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 April 2012
12.30 – 3.30pm
Join our volunteers for an afternoon of drawing for all the family. Have a go at drawing your favourite animal from the paintings or the mini farm.

Big Art for Little Artists
Saturday 31 March to Thursday 5 April 2012
10am – 5pm
Drop in for animal fun in Big Art – dress up as your favourite animal, play with animal puppets or get creative with and make your own animal art.

Check our events page to see what else is on at National Museums Liverpool over the Easter hols.

Some of the key objects on display in the Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story exhibition is telegrams from the Merseyside Maritime Museum’s extensive archive and library collection. These messages sent and received using the Marconi wireless on the rescue ship Carpathia between 15-17 April 1912, when Titanic’s survivors were rescued and taken to New York.

Messages were sent by Captain Rostron, as well as Bruce Ismay and many other survivors who wanted to pass on news that they were safe and also about the loss of loved ones. We have selected six messages from the collection which will be displayed in the 2hr 40 minutes area of the gallery, which takes its name from the time it took Titanic to sink.

These telegrams are poignant messages that communicate the enormous events in just a few words. For example, one telegram from Bruce Ismay on board Carpathia to P.A.S. Franklin, vice president White Star Line, New York 17 April 1912-

Deeply regret advise you Titanic sank this morning fifteenth after collision iceberg resulting serious loss of life, further particulars later

Titanic & Liverpool: the untold story opens Friday 30th March 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