York Castle Museum

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Soldier On!

17 October 2014

Explore what life was like on the front line this half term as two of York’s museums looks at life in the Roman legion and desert warfare in the First World War.

At York Castle Museum meet Great War veteran, Frank Wood, hear his story and join him on a mission in the Middle East.

Visitors can also take a close look at real medals and the people behind them and sample ‘Trench Cake’, a morale boosting fruit cake, which is made using war time recipes.

At the Yorkshire Museum, visitors can handle real Roman artefacts from the collections, enjoy a talk from one of our curators and join in with some hands-on activities.

On Wednesday October 29 there are also drop in sessions to create your own Roman Catapult, based on our nearly life size replica; try firing a pea size ballista ball at the Iron Age fort to test its fire power!

All activities are included in admission which is free to York Card holders, with all children under 16 also getting free entry with one paying adult.

Lisa Coombs, Assistant Curator of History Learning, said:

“It is great that we are able to offer visitors the opportunity to learn about local people who fought in the First World War; Frank Wood’s story is fascinating and our medal collection and the stories behind them are remarkable.

“Recreating authentic Trench Cake in the Castle Kitchen is something a bit different for visitors to experience and we think they will really enjoy it!”

Assistant Curator of Science and Archaeology Learning, Emma Williams, said:

“We have put together some great activities for families to enjoy this half term that look at objects from our collections and give an insight to what life would have been like for a Roman Legionary. We are also particularly excited to give visitors the opportunity to see our huge hand-made replica of a Roman catapult and have some fun making their own!”

Activities:

York Castle Museum

One Man’s War

Monday 27th Oct – Friday 31st Oct

Performances throughout the day, 11.00am – 4.00pm

Meet Great War veteran Lieutenant Frank Wood (actor, Chris Cade) and play a part in his story. Be recruited into his regiment, the East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry, and be trained and prepared for the desert. Then set sail for Alexandria to help him relive his experiences of the Middle Eastern Theatre of War, including defending the Suez Canal and being part of the last great cavalry charge in Britain’s military history!

Medal Making

Everyday

11.00am – 1.00pm and 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Create your own medal using metallic paper and art materials, or have a go at drawing your medal onto our special ‘shrinkle’ plastic sheet; take it home to shrink in your oven and produce your very own wartime medal. Guidance and instructions given!

Medals: Pip, Squeak and Wilf

Get up close and personal to some First World War medals from our military history collection and learn the story of Pip, Squeak and Wilf, the medals awarded to those who served in the First World War.

Trench Cake

Castle Kitchen, Daily 10am – 4pm

Learn how to bake ‘Trench Cake’ in the museum kitchen this half term. There will be demonstrations and even a chance to taste this dense fruit cake which was baked by families during the war as a morale-boosting treat to send to soldiers at the front.

Yorkshire Museum

A Legionary’s Life

Daily, 11am – 1pm and 2pm – 4pm

Find out what sort of kit a Legionary would have needed and have a go at making your own cut out Roman soldier. Then meet the Centurion as he tests your fitness for the Roman Army and puts you through your paces in a drill session.

Living like a Legionary

Daily

Discover more about life as a Legionary and handle real objects from the museum’s collections, which would have been used by Roman soldiers living in Eboracum (Roman York).

Kid’s Curator Talk – The Roman Army

Tuesday 28th October

12.30pm – 1.00pm

Learn all about the Roman Army in this special talk by one of our curators.

Fire Away!

Wednesday 29th October

11.00am – 1.00pm and 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Drop in session to create your own mini Roman catapult, based on our nearly life size replica! Then try firing a pea size ballista ball at the Iron Age fort to test its fire power.