First World War: Then and Now
Brierfield Action in the Community and Participation Works North West worked with young people from Marsden Heights Community College to investigate local history of the First World War.
The project was designed not only to build bridges between communities in the area, but also in response to young people disrespecting the war memorial earlier in the year.
With the help of volunteers and community development workers, the students discovered the role of the Indian Army in the First World War and the shared heritage between different local communities. The young people visited sites including museums, historic sites in France and Belgium and Brighton Pavilion, a former Indian Army troop hospital. A partnership with the Royal British Legion (RBL) was formed; the group sold poppies with the RBL and accompanied them on a Remembrance Day march.
The group put on an exhibition and held two events in local mosques; they also produced displays, a presentation at a local school and a scrapbook.
The project also included a ceremony at the Brierfield Cenotaph and the unveiling of a plaque commemorating Indian Army troops, with attendees including representatives from local mosques and RBL. This was the first time the local British Asian community had been involved in commemorating the First World War.
A World War One Project blog and Brierfield Action in the Community Facebook page document the project.