Dan Guiney, recently awarded the Legion’s Great War Scholarship for his innovative approach in teaching about WWI, shows us why we need to look closer at the past
Dan Guiney, a history teacher from Norwich, was recently awarded the Legion’s Great War Scholarship. The scholarship was set up with the blessing of HRH Prince of Wales to commemorate the loss of Fergus Bowes-Lyon, HM The Queen Mother’s brother, who was killed in action in the Battle of Loos.
“Many schools focus on the ‘big picture’ of politics and military strategy when teaching about the 1914-18 war and in so doing can sometimes lose sight of the individuals who made such a noble sacrifice. My aim was to encourage teachers to teach about the actual men in order to promote remembrance” Dan said. “These Norfolk men included basket-makers, architects, footballers, and even a footman to the King.”
While based at the Thiepval Visitor Centre on the Somme, Dan compiled a 30-page pack of written, audio, and visual sources for teachers in Norfolk so that the war could be viewed by students from Norfolk through soldiers that once lived just minutes away from their schools to help them understand their community’s role in world history.
To achieve this, Dan accessed museums, databases, and archaeological trusts and unearthed some wonderful and noble accounts. The highlight for Dan was “being given the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the soldiers of the Great War, particularly at Carnoy, where the 8th Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment went over the top on 1st July 1916”.
Dan’s information was passed on to history teachers at the Annual Norfolk History Conference in December 2008 to great acclaim. A collection of student work, letters, and photographs resulting from the project will be on display in Norwich Castle museum.
