Duxford – A Trip Through Time

Sapphire Class visited Duxford War Museum in Cambridge to reinforce their learning about World War Two.

The pupils saw a range of artefacts and memorabilia, including uniforms, photographs as well as military vehicles. They were able to experience the cramped conditions of an Anderson shelter and see how it felt to be inside one, imagining what it would have been like to have to spend hours inside the shelter until the ‘all clear’ was given that the air raid was over. The pupils were surprised by how small the space was. They watched an interesting video about a real-life air raid operation and what happened to the soldiers after this event They also saw how aircraft have evolved over the years and how these were used during the war.

Pupils explored the chronology of the events by looking at the dates of when different events happened. They showed lots of interest in the weaponry used in conflict and the range of medals that can be awarded during war time. They understood how precious these artefacts are and opened the drawers with care and respect.

The previous week, pupils had a special history meets horticulture lesson, where they had learned about food rationing during World War Two and how the population were encouraged to ‘dig for victory’ to supplement their rations. Whilst eating lunch at the museum pupils looked at a ‘Dig for Victory’ mural on the wall, they really appreciated how fortunate they were to be able to eat what they wanted, when they wanted.

One pupil said: “I really liked the planes, especially the World War Two ones. There were big ones and small ones. We were able to get inside some of them.” Whilst another pupil really enjoyed playing on the plane themed climbing frames at the end of our trip.

The pupils managed themselves extremely well in a new environment and asked a range of thoughtful questions to the volunteers who work at the museum.