Today we had a visit from Brian Bates an author of a book we are using extracts from for our research and he kindly gave us some material to use on our cards in our geocaches. we also found a link to a clip about the German Prisoner of war camp in Dorchester. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-24906894

Jack and Ray holding a copy of Portait Of An Era A history of Britain 1900 - 1945.

Brian Bates book on war history in Dorchester which he kindly let us use extracts from.

Rosie recommends this Horrible history book on the First World War. "Some bits are quite funny & naughty" By frightful first World War splats hats & lofts of RATS!!!!

Jack Welch Columnist for the Dorset Echo Town Talk section gets people talking about us again

 

DT1 Town Talk: Walking in their Shoes project discovers interesting historical facts 12:00pm Wednesday 26th February 2014 in News

The past month for the Heritage Lottery Funded project Walking in their Shoes has seen the team take up their deerstalkers and magnifying glasses, as their latest research begins to uncover the latest clues and are now seeing some very exciting results of our investigations.

Some of our best discoveries this month include the revelation Dorchester had one of the largest German Prison of War camps in the country, with an estimated 5,000 inmates at its peak, nearly half the town’s population at the time.

With 2014 marking the significant centenary since the UK declaring war on Germany, we are keen to make as many findings as possible about this important narrative of Dorset’s role in the war.

We also found out Routes, 5 North Square, Dorset Youth Association’s Advice and Information Café where we meet, was a lodging home for off duty soldiers and a popular car servicing company next door was a hotspot for refreshments and sanctuary when they were not on the frontline.

We know that the home was first opened in 1888 by the Church and Temperance Societies and tried to make a warm, comforting place for soldiers and to encourage them to stay out of the pubs.

As young people we encourage each other to do the same today.

Meet Some of the Team

Welcome to some members of the "Walking in Their Shoes"  Team. Our first volunteer is Jonathan the graphic designer.

Liz is our volunteer support worker.

Douglas is our diary coordinator and history researcher.

Ashley is our volunteer military history researcher and Microsoft ICT mentor.

Rosie is the volunteer librarian and history researcher.

Julia is the volunteer support worker.

Micheal is our volunteer Facebook coordinator.

Edward is our volunteer web developer and Microsoft Hub ICT mentor.

James is our volunteer history researcher and Microsoft Hub ICT mentor.

Imogene is our volunteer press officer and history researcher.

Beki is our volunteer press officer and copy editor.
















And then there's me, Ben. I'm the volunteer photographer and Microsoft Hub mentor.

Bringing the News

STOP PRESS

Ray Seymour is a great friend of the project and Vice President and a trustee of Dorset Youth Association.
Ray owned Kingsbere Central Stores in Bere Regis from 1954 to 2004.

We have learned today that the stores delivered newspapers to Louis Strange, a Dorset Veteran flyer who flew through both world wars.

Jack Welch's column about the project in our local paper

DT1: Shocking stories from the past

12:00pm Wednesday 15th January 2014

by Jack Welch, a volunteer on the Walking In Their Shoes
project at Routes advice and information centre in Dorchester
The volunteers from the Heritage Lottery funded Walking In Their Shoes group have been exceptionally busy.
We have found some fascinating evidence from our research into Anglo-Saxon history in the area and also exploring the life of a soldier preparing to go into the trenches of the First World War.
Some facts have been quite shocking for us.
With the expertise of staff and volunteers from The Keep Museum in Dorchester and The Tank Museum in Bovington, we have gained the knowledge and insight we need to tell the soldier’s story on our walk. There has been an influx of young and older volunteers joining the project, as we enter our most exciting months ahead.
We have welcomed support from current Mayor of Dorchester, Councillor Stella Jones, and Dorchester Town Council Heritage Committee, which has called our project ‘fantastic’, as well as Waitrose of Poundbury – who gave us a generous £150 donation in recognition of our work.
More news came in the form of our digital literacy project, Routes IT Hubs, who awarded us the status of a ‘golden hub’, only one of three in the country.
If you’re interested in helping us make our interactive history walking in the shoes of an Anglo-Saxon monk and a First World War soldier, call Lorna on 07788203003. You can learn app development, history research skills and trek leading. It’s good for your CV and great fun.
Please visit http://walkingi ntheirshoes.blogspot.co.uk/ and follow us on Twitter @DorsetWitS

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Workshop in Wartime

23rd December 2013

By Jack Welch, Volunteer Press Officer

It was the final session of the year today, volunteer Sara, led a drama workshop on World War One making stories from facts and artefacts of the time to help us understand the experience of the people of Dorset back then. We thought that we'd let the pictures tell the story of our day, as we ended 2013 on a high. One of our volunteers remarked they "enjoyed getting stuck in aging paper, eating lots of chocolate, acting and being taught new information." Enjoy!: