History Programmes

Please see the Planning Your Visit page for entrance and workshop prices

Touching the Past – World War One Personal Perspectives

 Source based enquiry: personal experiences of war 1914-18

Curriculum Links:   KS3.   GCSE: The impact of war on Britain 1903 - 1954. AQA History B, Historical enquiry - Britain at War.

Length: (1 1/4 hours) 

 This investigative workshop uses artefacts, photographs and written sources to reveal experiences of men and women who served in WW1. Choices for study include a WW1 pilot, a soldier serving in the trenches, an officer serving at Gallipolli, a prisoner of war, a woman in the Navy (WRNS) an air mechanic and the homefront. Pupils will also gain an overview of these topics and will complete a research booklet to take back to school. 

WW1 and the Versailles Peace Settlement

Target Group: KS3 and GCSE (2015 and 2016 specifications)

Curriculum Links: History

Length: (2 hours)

The Politics of Peace and the Machinery of War

This session comprises a presentation about the WW1 Peace Settlement and its impact on subsequent history followed by an investigation in the exhibition halls to examine the role of technological advance in the First World War, its inclusion in the Treaty and its development between the wars.

Women’s Suffrage and their Role in War

Target Group: KS3 and GCSE (2015 and 2016 specifications) Edexcel History A, War and the transformation of British Society 1931-51.  AQA History B, Historical enquiry - The British People in War & Changing Role of Women

Curriculum Links: History

Length: (2 hours)

The impact of war on the campaign for the franchise.

Investigative session using objects, uniforms, documents and photographs to research how women’s contribution in the 1914-18 war influenced the campaign for the vote and how this influenced the development of women’s military roles that women in the decades since.

The Second World War (2 hours) 

Curriculum Links: History

Target Group: KS3 and GCSE (2015 and 2016 specifications)

Length: (2 hours)

War at home and at sea

Investigate the war at home using objects, uniforms and documents before moving to the WW2 displays to research the global extent of the naval war: from the Battle of Britain to the Battle of the Atlantic and the climax of the war in the Far East.

Touching the Past - The WW2 Homefront 1939-45

Curriculum Links: KS3 and GCSE: Edexcel History A, War and the transformation of British Society 1931-51.  AQA History B, Historical enquiry - The British People in War & Changing Role of Women

Length: (2 hours)

Source based enquiry: The Blitz, food supplies and rationing, changing role of women.

Investigative workshop using museum objects, exhibits, photographs and written sources to research and empathise with the experiences of a range of people who experienced the Homefront in WW2. The session includes an overview of these topics and pupils will complete a research booklet to take back to school.

The British Aircraft Carrier and Global Warfare

Curriculum Links:  GCSE: Edexcel B SHP - The changing nature of warfare in the 20th Century.  AQA History B, Historical enquiry - Britain at War

Length: (2 hours)

How the development of seaborne aviation transformed the nature of warfare in the 20th Century

At the end of WW1 Britain had 3 aircraft carriers whilst the rest of the world had none. During WW2 the carrier became the primary capital ship of the world’s navies able to project military and political power around the Globe. Britain’s largest ever carriers are in construction today and will have a definitive impact Britain's future naval and aviation capabilities.

This double session programme comprises an illustrated presentation followed a guided tour of Ark Royal IV on patrol in the Cold War. (2 hours)

RNAS Yeovilton’s Place in Britain’s History  (2 hours)

Target Group: KS3 and GCSE (2016 specifications)

Curriculum Links: History

Length: (2 hours)

A Local Study Over Time

Find out how the story of the Naval Air Station at Yeovilton links the local economy and community with some of the defining events of the 20th Century across the Globe. Fleet Air Arm personnel have served in war and peace in every major operation Britain has played a part in since 1940.  The local economy is geared to supporting the Royal Navy whilst military families have become a key part of the community in Somerset.

The Battle of Britain

Investigate the first battle ever to take place entirely in the air and why Allied success was so important to Britain’s continued participation in the war.

Curriculum links:

• History: a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological understanding beyond 1066, a local history study.
• PSHE: Develop empathy for the experiences of those who took part and for those whose futures depended upon them.

Workshop: Investigate why the Battle of Britain was so significant to the course of World War 2, a turning point militarily and vital to restore Britain’s morale after (Dunkirk) the retreat from Europe. Explore the experience of the young aircrews; including the 54 Fleet Air Arm pilots who fought alongside their RAF and Allied colleagues throughout the Battle. This session uses aircrew equipment, photographs, film and personal records, including some for South West England, to enable young researchers to access both military and personal perspectives on the Battle. Pupils are provided with a Battle of Britain Logbook to record their research and as a resource for follow up work back at school.

Gallery Discovery Tour: Check out the types of aircraft that flew in the Battle of Britain and use displays about the Homefront, Battle of the Atlantic to understand the wider context of this conflict; for Britain and the story of air warfare.