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Calling all new recruits!

HMS Belfast and CBBC Presenter Ben Shires need you to become the newest member of crew for this family mission! From peeling potatoes to providing medical care, every member of the almost 1000 strong crew had a very important role to play and it’s time to find out yours!

Mission Briefing

Part of the Family Mission series created during the UK lockdown in Spring 2020. CBBC Presenter Ben Shires delivers your mission briefing.

Ahoy there, sailors! I'm Ben Shires and I'm here to tell you all about this week's Family Mission from the good folks over at Imperial War Museums. Now, if you watch this week's Adventures in History film, you'll know all about HMS Belfast. Now, as a Royal Navy warship, HMS Belfast holds many stories from the Second World War and for the crew who called her home, they witnessed many things whilst on board the decks from clearing the ice when journeying through the Arctic Ocean to the drama and the danger in the D-Day landings.  

But how do you keep a ship that's the size of a small village afloat and functioning? 

From peeling potatoes to providing medical care every member of the crew had a vitally important role to play. Your family mission this week is to find out what role you might have had on board HMS Belfast during the Second World War. Perhaps you might have been the doctor. What about the radio operator? Or how about this ship's cook? Or the captain? 

IWM have created a very scientific model to determine which role you might be best at following a series of skill and personality questions such as, “are you better chopping things or making things?” You will be led on a journey of enlightenment and discovery to finally reveal which role you'll be best suited for aboard this iconic ship. The link for where you need to go is below and whilst you're there, you'll be able to find the stories of the real people who served aboard HMS Belfast. So, whilst IWM’s doors are closed, we really look what to hearing from you. Take care, see you next time! 

The clever crew at IWM have created a practically precise scientific model to help you determine which role you might be best at.

Discover your role

Find out which role you might have had aboard HMS Belfast
  • Want to print out and keep our recruitment chart?

     

    Download it here!

Explore Further

Adventures in History: Life Under The Sea graphic
Home Learning

Life Under The Sea

Our special guest, Ed from the Royal Navy, is interviewed by CBBC presenter Ben Shires. Ed will tell us all about what it’s like to work on a submarine and spend months living deep beneath the waves.

Adventures in History: Ship Shape Stories graphic
Home Learning

Ship Shape Stories

Join IWM expert Ngaire as she helps us discover the extraordinary stories from the deck of the largest object in IWM’s collection, HMS Belfast.

Family Mission: Morse Code graphic
Home Learning

Family Mission: Morse Code

Morse code was widely used during the Second World War by Britain’s armed forces. Learn how to use it to send your own messages!

Sponsors

Family Mission has been created with the generous support of Old Possum's Practical Trust