Kent in World War One

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this project started in 2014. Through its various strands, 'Kent in WW1' enables access to the extraordinary history of the coastal communities of Kent during the First World War. We concentrated on telling the stories of the people from coastal locations across the region, whatever their role was during the hostilities. This proved particularly important to contemporary local communities in being able to relate to their locality and heritage. Prior to the ‘Kent in WW1’ project, much historical information could only be found by wartime subject or event, rather than by location, but now there are rich concentrations of heritage events and personal stories, often inter-related. Currently on the project website, there are over eight hundred images that provide insight into both the individuals who served in the Forces as well as the effects of war felt upon the Home Front. One of our most successful elements of the project was our educational programme where, in total, we conducted 101 separate workshops with 8,350 students. Using artefacts, film, postcards and newspapers from the period, we engaged with young people to widen their knowledge about the war in general, alongside its impacts within their local area. The Belgian Tourist Office kindly supported our school workshops. The 'Kent in WW1' project also delivered various live events which ran from November 2013. These saw the project team partner with large organisations, such as the Historic Dockyard Chatham, the BBC, and the War and Peace Revival, in addition to local groups who requested support and promotion (such as a commemorative event held in Eastry in August 2014). These occasions were valuable to the project in enabling us to speak with the general public (estimated at seven thousand over the duration of the project), providing specific insight or directing people towards local or national resources. Our partnerships with local groups were of vital importance and support in enhancing the project - these included, amongst others, Kent Museums & Archives, the Royal Engineers Museum and the University of Kent. One of our main outputs was a specially commissioned short film, produced by award-winning director Nichola Bruce. Titled 'Echoes from the Kent Coast', this illustrated the hidden stories and connections that marked Kent and its people out as notably important in terms of the impact and legacy of the First World War. It is available to watch via the website link below.