What can memorials tell us about British Foreign Policy 1854-1914?

Key Stage 5: History

Learning Aims and Outcomes

• Students will use historical evidence to help in their understanding British Foreign Policy from the 1850s to the start of the First World War

• Students will be able to demonstrate skills in searching, assessing and using relevant evidence

• Students will gain a better understanding of British foreign policy and its impact on Britain and the Empire, including, amongst others, the Crimean, Egypt and Boer wars

• Relates to: Edexcel: GCE History Unit 2 C1 - The Experience of Warfare in Britain: Crimea, Boer and the First World War, 1854-1929

• Relates to: OCR: Unit F961 - British History Period Studies - Option B: Modern 1783-1994: Foreign and Imperial Policies 1856–1914

Created by English Heritage - National Monuments Record, taken from www.heritageexplorer.org.uk

STEP 1: Go to www.heritageexplorer.org.uk

Select Search from the left-hand menu

Type war, memorial into the Keywords box.

Then select Victorian (1836-1901) from the dropdown list under When

STEP 2: Open each of the thumbnails to find out more about the memorials. As you read them create two lists.

One of the countries they were fought in and another of the names of the wars / Reasons for being there

Share your lists with the class: Victorian War Memorials

Name of Country Name of War/Reason for being there

STEP 3: Repeat your search: selecting Edwardian (1902-1913)

Use these results to add to your list of wars and countries

Share your lists with the class: Edwardian War Memorials

Name of Country Name of War/Reason for being there

Name of Country Name of War/Reason for being there

Ukraine (Russia)

India

Sierra Leone

Jamaica

South Africa

Afghanistan

Egypt

Sudan

South Africa

North China

Crimean War (1853-6)

Indian Mutiny (1857-9)

Crown Colony/ Naval Station

Crown Colony/ Naval Station

Kafir War (1877-8) & Zulu War (1879)

Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-80)

Egypt War (1882)

Egypt War (1882)

Boer War (1899 - 1902)

Boxer Rebellion (1900)

Your list should look something like this

STEP 5: Use an atlas or online world map to mark all the countries from your list onto this map of the world

STEP 6: Discuss the map - what kind of a picture of British Foreign Policy is beginning to appear?

http://www.freeworldmaps.net/political.html

Whilst it is clear from the numbers of memorials that the Crimean War and the Boer War were the two main conflicts during this period, your lists

should also raise some interesting questions:

?

?

?

Why did 329 members of the 66th Berkshire Regiment give 'their lives for their country at Girisk, Maiwand and Kandahar during the Afghan campaign 1879-80'

Why were sailors on HMS Centurion 'killed or died of wounds received whilst gallantly doing their duty in the Naval Brigade, North China, 1900'?

Why did 44 'Officers and Men of H.M.S. Trident' die of yellow fever in Sierra Leone?

STEP 6: Divide into groups - each group should choose a different country from the list and research it. You must try to answer the following questions:

• What were the British doing there?

• What did they stand to gain?

• What did they stand to lose?

• How might this action fit in with the other conflicts?

• Why did someone bother to build a memorial?

Use text books and the internet to find out more about each conflict

(see tables below for some interesting links - if you need them)

Name of Country

Name of War/Reason for being there

Ukraine (Russia)

India

Sierra Leone

Jamaica

Crimean War (1853-6)http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/battles/crimea/

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/archive/tol_archive/article496367.ece

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?st=grid&co=ftncnw

Indian Mutiny (1857-9)http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qprnj

http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armycampaigns/indiancampaigns/mutiny/mutiny.htm

Crown Colony/ Naval Stationhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/royal_navy_article_01.shtml

http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/visit_see_victory_cfexhibition_infosheet.htm

Crown Colony/ Naval Stationhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1874/jun/18/question

Name of Country

Name of War/Reason for being there

South Africa

Afghanistan

Egypt

Sudan

Kafir War (1877-8) & Zulu War (1879)http://stmarys.ca/~wmills/course322/Kaffir_wars.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/zulu_01.shtml

Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-80)http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/berkshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8225000/8225507.stm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1229067/One-British-soldiers-diaries-bloody-battle-Afghanistan-130-years-ago-provide-haunting-insight-horrors-troops-face-now.html

Egypt War (1882)http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/battles/egypt/

http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/egypt2.html

Egypt War (1882)http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/battles/egypt/aftermath.htm

http://www.victorianweb.org/history/empire/gordon/bio1.html

Name of Country Name of War/Reason for being there

South Africa

North China

Boer War (1899 - 1902)http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/boer_wars_01.shtml#six

http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/Who-we-are/Museum-and-archives/Historical-factsheets/Boer-wars

Boxer Rebellion (1900)http://history.cultural-china.com/en/34History6705.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00j4hmv

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/the-boxer-rebellion/8056.html

http://www.economist.com/node/17723014

STEP 7: Each group should share their research with the rest of the class. Then each student should return to the original question:

What can memorials tell us about British Foreign Policy

1854-1914?

Write a short essay summarising your findings and use them to answer the question above