The concept for this exciting cross curriculum project in schools has been inspired by some of the remarkable war memorials to be seen in Shropshire, a peaceful rural county in the mid west of England.

• the large figure of a soldier throwing a grenade in Castle Gardens in Bridgnorth.
• the unusual memorial in Ruyton-XI-Towns in the form of a cave cut into solid rock
• the clay figure of a soldier in Stokesay churchyard, affectionately known as ‘Old Ned’
• the Severn Valley Railway train which operated in Persia and Egypt with the Corps of Royal Engineers and was dedicated in 1986 to the memory of all British military railwaymen who gave their lives on active service in World War II

These are examples of hundreds of memorials, ranging from hospital beds, a bridge at Coalport, crosses, lych gates, memorial tablets in town and village halls, pubs and clubs to be found all over the county. The majority of these relate to the First World War and are tangible examples of what has been described as the biggest public art project in history. War memorials provide insight into not only the changing face of commemoration but also military history, social history and art history. They are a remarkable aesthetic and historical resource, but many people do not know they exist, or if they do perhaps do not question their meaning or significance. For most young people in our peaceful rural county the experience of war is very remote and what limited exposure they have has been sanitised through their television screens.

The aim of the Conflict and Memory project is to provide a bridge between veterans of the WWII conflict and young people and to utilise war memorials to explore some of the issues surrounding memorial, conflict and local history through the creative and aesthetic vision of a contemporary artist.

The project represents a unique collaboration between artist film maker Dave Brunskill, Shropshire County Council Archives and Arts Services, several Shropshire schools and communities, some veterans groups, Shropshire War Memorial Association and local veterans.

The project ties in with two Imperial War Museum designed exhibitions which are visiting Shropshire early in 2006 and will be used as a valuable resource for the project:-

• The major travelling exhibition ‘Their Past, Your Future’ to be held at St Mary’s Church, Shrewsbury 9 Jan – 20 Feb 2006
• The National Inventory of War Memorials to be launched at Shropshire Archives Local History Festival, 6^th & 7^th November 2005 and running until 2006

Also Shropshire Archives Local History Festival, 6th & 7^th November 2005

Two secondary schools in Shropshire are taking part... Bridgnorth Endowed School and Wakeman School, Shrewsbury. Three primary schools are also involved... St Leonards Primary School, Bridgnorth, St Lawrence Primary School, Church Stretton and Coleham Primary School, Shrewsbury.

The project also represents an exciting new partnership between Shropshire Archives and the Arts Service, using the arts to provide a pathway to the unique archive holdings in the county. Jointly managed by the Arts Service and Shropshire Archives, project coordinator Carol Overs will manage the planning and delivery of the project, with particular focus on coordination and partnership between the schools. The role of the artist Dave Brunskill is as an overarching creative animateur and is particularly crucial in ensuring that art and creativity are at the core of the project.

The first part of the project will be a research-based exercise, using a variety of ‘encounters’ to feed into an overall process of learning. The process of research will be as important as any resulting art work created and will be informed by the input of the lead artist. The research will be based on encounters with WWII veterans, study of the subject of war memorials, including visits to key war memorials, access to material from Shropshire Archives and the Imperial War Museum exhibitions visiting Shropshire, access to relevant websites, research into pupils’ own family history, and interviews with local people about the effect of the conflict on communities.

The second part of the project will involve the tying together of the material created during the research period. Possible mechanisms to create this tying together include the making of mini ‘documentaries’, sketches, maquettes, diaries and scrap books.

The third part of the project is a collaboration between artist and pupils to construct a contemporary digital war memorial, a lasting reminder of the impact of war for local people, to be shown in an end of project exhibition.

The fourth part of the project will focus on presentation and evaluation of the project with key partners disseminating and broadening the outcomes to Adult and Community Learning and Family Learning providers.

The project will:-

• create an opportunity for an exchange between the generations concerning the conflict
• provide a project for the young people to investigate local, national and international history and issues surrounding conflict
• provide an opportunity to explore the meaning of commemoration and the aesthetics of objects of commemoration through the study of local war memorials.
• provide a link to local history through access to SCC Museums Service and Shropshire Archives material
• provide a creative learning programme providing an opportunity for pupils to work with a contemporary artist to explore the meaning of war memorials through a creative process
• providing an opportunity for pupils to explore feelings and emotions surrounding the memories of the veterans and sensitizing young people to unfamiliar issues
• create an opportunity for young people to access family history and undertake dialogue with family members and the community
• provide a cross generational exchange
• lead to the creation of pupil documentaries and works of art