On Monday 3rd June History Club pupils from Year 7 and 8 visited the West Sussex Records Office to take part in a commemorative D-Day workshop led by the archivists and Chichester University Historian Dr Andrew WM Smith. The pupils were able to access first hand, documents detailing the lives of ordinary local people who were affected by Britain’s wartime experience and the county’s key role in preparing for the D-Day invasion.
Pupils were able to learn from an array of different documents ranging from diaries, photographs, council records and newspapers, giving them a valuable insight into how working historians carry out their research and the integral part played by those who maintain the archives and ensure they are preserved and accessible. It was an inspiring experience, with pupils working directly with the professionals in this field, which fuelled the passion of our most dedicated young historians.
Miss K Hurry, Teacher of History