This blog is created and written by the children of Hirst Class.

This half term we have been learning about the causes and consequences of WWII. We have explored a range of sources to gather evidence and information, which was also supported by our trip to the Imperial War Museum.

Aaqib – Some of the consequences of war have been inventions. Did you know that superglue was invented during the war as a way to stop soldiers bleeding in the battlefield? Penicillin was also discovered by Dr Alexander Flemming and the use of became more wide spread during the war. This led to mass production after the war, the benefits of the drug are still widely used today to fight infections. Also, the technology behind the Apollo Space Programme and Moon Landing came directly from the science behind the liquid fuelled V-2 rockets developed and used in WW2.

Najibah – In our Whole Class Read this half term we have been reading Friend or Foe by Michael Morpurgo. The story follows two young boys, who were evacuated from London to the countryside during the Blitz and bombing of London. Blitz means Lightening War, the Germans rained thousands of bombs on to major cities in England to stall production of ammunitions and productivity. As a consequence, children from the major cities were evacuated to the countryside for safety. Something that surprised me was that German Jewish children were part of the evacuees as they had previously been forced to leave Germany as the Nazi’s became more powerful.

Saklain – To slow our War effort, Nazi bombers called the Luftwaffe used to target the docklands in East London. They dropped bombs to destroy factories and technology designed to support the British effort.

Docklands ablaze in the background. The Tower of London and Tower Bridge still stand amongst the debris.

Maryam – One of the causes of WW2 was how Hitler and Germany felt about their treatment after losing WW1. The German people and political powers felt they had to ration more than during the war itself and were given too many restrictions. On the flip side, the allies were also aware of making Germany too weak as the presence and power of Russia was growing. This led to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain appeasing Germany and Hitler and allowing them to build an army.

Humaira – A consequence of the Blitz and bombing was the need for people to build shelters. The most common shelter was the Anderson Shelter, which was built in the back of their garden instead of going to the Tube station during an air raid, which was often too far away. During our trip to the Imperial War Museum, we experienced the feeling of using an Anderson Shelter in one of their exhibits.

This was small, cramped and uncomfortable. Wouldn’t be very warm and hard to sleep in at night.

Zain – Adolf Hitler developed a hatred for Jewish people. His mum died when he was young and he blamed the Jewish doctor for her death. Also, he failed to get into art school – the teacher who didn’t submit him was also Jewish. When he came to power and formed the Nazi party, he spread hatred about the Jewish people in Germany. This anti-Semitic anger and hatred led to the extermination of over 6million Jews by the end of the war. Many Jews suffered extreme horrors in concentration camps such as Auschwitz. Rose Blanche is a book we are reading in class, which highlights some of the horrors they faced!

The Haunting entrance to Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
This book describes how a child experiences war. The images are really powerful in the book.

Here are some examples of our work in Curriculum books: