School Children Will Commemorate The Fallen at Cosford

Poems About The End of The School Year

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PRESS RELEASE – On Tuesday November 11th, at 10.45am in the Warplanes Hangar the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford will be commemorating The Fallen in a unique and special way this November, with some help from a group of local school children.In September this year, a group of pupils from John Fletcher of Madeley primary school in Telford began the first stage of a First World War Arts project being led by the Access and Learning team at the RAF Museum Cosford. The participating pupils, aged 10-11 visited the Coalport China Museum in Ironbridge and took part in a glass blowing activity. The glass blown on the day by the pupils has since been turned into coloured glass poppies, commemorating The Fallen named on Madeley War Memorial, 2nd Lt Kevin Furniss and an airman ‘known unto God’.

Whilst work was underway in the studio creating the poppies, the Museum’s Access and Learning team spent time with the pupils in school, helping them to develop their knowledge and understanding of the lives of Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Air Force Pilots during the First and Second World Wars. Children were encouraged to make links between the poppies they were making, the act of remembrance and those individuals who lost their lives in both World Wars.

Pupils who took part in the project, along with all their Year 6 classmates have been invited back to the RAF Museum on Remembrance Day to view the finished poppies for the very first time. The completed poppies will be revealed to the pupils during a special Act of Remembrance on Tuesday 11th November taking place in the Museum’s Warplanes Hangar.

RAF Museum Cosford Education Assistant Lisa Fawcett said:“The project came about when the RAF Museum was approached by the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) earlier this year to discuss the possibility of working together to develop an Arts project with links to the First World War. After looking into various options it was decided that making glass poppies would be the ideal project for us to take forward. Thanks to a grant from NADFAS, we were able to bring local designer and glass maker Johnathan Harris on board to help make the project a reality. I have always been interested in the way in which the poppy has become a symbol of remembrance and hoped and thought that a project that combined art and remembrance would be an exciting challenge.”

The glass poppies will also form part of the ‘First World War in the Air’ exhibition due to go on display at the RAF Museum Cosford later this year. It is hoped the poppies will eventually also be displayed at the National Memorial Arboretum and at RAF Museum London.

RAF Museum Cosford Service of Remembrance for visitors – Sunday 9 November – 10.45am in Hangar 1

On Sunday 9 November the RAF Museum Cosford will be holding a Service of Remembrance paying respect to those service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice during their tours of duty. Any visitors who wish to pay their respects and reflect on the sacrifices made by our brave service men and women are invited to join us. The service will be led by the Station Chaplain RAF Cosford, in front of the Comet in the Museum’s Hangar 1. All visitors are politely requested to assemble no later than 10:30am ready for the Service to commence at 10.45am, which will include a two minute silence with the sounding of ‘The Last Post’.