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National Curriculum topic – World War Two |
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| The CAFE Project is always seeking to enable teachers to deliver memorable learning experiences using the farm as an outdoor classroom. The topic of World War 2 obviously has plenty of scope to deliver on the Curriculum Cymreig in the local context and many of the older generation of farmers have vivid memories of their childhoods during the War which they can share with today’s children. | |
Michael Jones, Former chairman of Montgomeryshire NFU and father of David Jones of Dyffryn Farm, one of the Tir Gofal farms offering educational access in Montgomeryshire has been writing up his personal memories growing up on the farm just north of Newtown. On 2 October 2008 Michael and David hosted a visit by Churchstoke CP School juniors. First Michael Jones described his life on the farm; the details of what he ate, school, work and no TV and the use of horses held the children rapt. Moving on to his feelings during the war – in particular the presence of soldiers, roadblocks, the fear of stepping out of line or doing something you shouldn’t, but above all the sense of urgency and commitment that united everyone in the fight. He went on to tell the children about the two Italian Prisoners of War who came to work on their farm and the catastrophic crash of a large British Bomber plane – a Handley-Page Halifax – during a terrible storm in January 1944 with the loss of nine airmen. During a farm walk the children heard how the farm had changed, old features were pointed out and recent developments – particularly the tree plantings – were explained so that the children realised that farming and the landscape had indeed seen many changes since the war most driven by the needs perceived by the governments of the day. The Jones family had farmed the land for just over one hundred years and had a detailed knowledge of the land, the plants and animals and the patterns of life there. Running across the meadows and extracting wellies from muddy gateways demonstrated the particularly wet summer of 2008. David Jones pointed out that this year had been hard for the small rodents – the mice, voles and shrews that nested in and just under the ground. The consequences of this for the owls who depended on them were also being felt – David pointed out the Barn Owl boxes put up in the trees. Teacher Elisabeth Farrington appreciated the rich detail of the
experience and commented on how the children had paid close attention
to the detail being brought to life around them. The children took
away local images such as the Prisoner of War camp that used to
stand opposite Theatr Hafren – complete with barbed wire
and watch-towers, the trainloads of produce carried to the cities
on lines that today see only a couple of trains a day and the personal
recollection of Michael Jones who counted himself privileged to
have actually seen Winston Churchill in Coventry during his tour
of the country at the end of the war in 1945 and described the
sight of him passing in the back of a car complete with cigar and
the victory V-sign! |
Michal Jones Introductory talk
The crash site - memories shared
Running free - Farmer keeps up!
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