Home Front Legacy 1914-18

Home Front Legacy 1914-18 (HFL) was a community engagement project co-ordinated by the Council for British Archaeology (CBA), working with Historic England (HE) and partners across the UK. The project ran throughout the First World War Centenary (2014-2018) and enabled communities to enhance the future protection and understanding of the First World War sites across the UK through the development of educational resources, skills training workshops, and a searchable database.

These resources and session plans are designed to help young people explore a range of themes relating to the Home Front across the UK including the archaeology of the Home Front, food and diet, and the roles of women. These resources include a suite of panoramas by cartoonist Dave Chisholm which depict aspects of life on land, in the air, and at sea. The building, military activity, and people going about their day-to-day business are based on real places and events that formed part of the Home Front story.

Over the course of the project over 5,000 sites associated with the Home Front were recorded from military buildings to public spaces, allotments, and village halls. These sites were recorded by the public and the results are available via the Archaeological Data Service at https://doi.org/10.5284/1059297. The sites recorded in the database may complement the activities and resources here and there are further links to other useful resources in the session plans.

Resources

Session Plans

For primary teachers and group leaders, we have developed these session plans that are designed to help you on your archaeological journey. You might start out on your journey at different points depending on your plans.

For teachers – We envisage this suite of resources would support a local history study, developing research and recording skills, as well as mapping using grid references, English, writing and developing stories and conversations.

Many of these skills can be developed within the school classroom and grounds.  

For group leaders – There are real practical archaeological challenges for your groups to get involved in.  

Illustrations

The Home Front Legacy team have commissioned five special illustrations (pictures) that depict aspects of life on the Home Front 1914-18. 

The landscapes depicted are all imagined but the buildings, the military activity and people going about their day to day business are based on real places and events that formed part of the Home Front story. The illustrations also join to create one complete Home Front landscape, forming a stunning wall display. 

Historic Clue Cards

Each of the Home Front pictures has a set of clues that connect to the activity to be found in the picture. 

Historic Photo Cards

Each of the five Home Front pictures has a set of six historic photographs that connect to the clues and to the activity to be found in the picture.

Story Cards

Each of the Home Front pictures has a story connected to it. The story card tells the particular story of an event or activity. You might wish to undertake some internet research!

Historic Character Cards

Each of the Home Front pictures have characters in conversation. Use the character conversation cards to create dialogues. You might wish to undertake some internet research!

Venn Diagrams

There are five Venn diagram templates, one for each of the Home Front illustrations. 

Colouring Extravaganza

Test your colouring skills with our Home Front colouring sheets. You can print out these pictures and have a go colouring in the Home Front.

Spot the Difference

Can you spot the differences in this Home Front scene? There are 10 fiendishly hidden differences for you to find.