The 11th of November is a day of worldwide importance, every nation and every person collectively takes two minutes to remember those who sacrificed so much for the sake of the world wars. It has both a personal connection to almost every individual on the planet but many can forget that the people who fought in this war were probably no different from us!
This year was the centenary of the beginning of the first world war, and the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust have commemorated this milestone in remembrance of the fallen by organising an exhibition called 'Family Stories of the Great War' to give the local community an insight into something closer to the heart.
Over 800,000 poppies lay outside the tower of London to show how many lives were lost during the war but how many people fought in your local area?
In Greenwich alone, thousands of people gave their lives to the war for the good of humanity. One man named Raymond Creed has spent the last few years documenting every name and tried to research about that person's background, I asked why: 'No one knows about this aspect of the war besides a select few, I believe it is important to keep it alive'.
His reasoning made me realise just how important exhibitions like this are. There is no-one alive from world war one now, so this exhibition allows people to see documented research on different people in a very engaging way.
The mayor of Greenwich, Councillor Mick Hayes attended the event and he told me: 'There is a huge focus on the 2014 Remembrance Day but we have been given many facts and figures, meaning the story is never fully told. Exhibitions like this are more personal and involve the human side of the war. It is key to the commemoration process to understand the stories behind the data; it makes it easier to remember'.
With exhibitions like the 'Family Stories of the Great War' primary school children and indeed young people like me can understand the true sacrifices made by the people who could have been our friends if we were born in their era! It makes everything a little more real.
Some representatives of primary schools we also there to see the exhibitions and the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust offered resources to help them aid the future generations learning and understanding of the 'human side' to the war. There were discussions of ancestry and the room was filled with pride as people shared their families efforts in the war. One of the representatives stated that 'It is important to know your ancestry and the story of your family. It shapes you as a person'.
Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust's Chief Executive Tracy Stringfellow said: 'The Royal Borough of Greenwich has strong links to the past and we wanted to explore the human stories to further increase the awareness of the sacrifices made.'
Heritage Project Officer, Carolyn Ayers gave a speech and mentioned that the aims of this project were to 'honour the people, the places, and the sacrifices of the men and women of the Royal Borough of Greenwich'.
The community was incredibly enthusiastic about this project, as they believed it made people realise the importance of remembrance. One of the Trustees, Jonathan Louth expressed his enthusiasm as well. He believed that 'this exhibition makes a link down memory lane. The links between history and memory are quite nice, and the next generation will be able to keep this alive'.
The project has attracted huge amounts of interest and it was emotional enduring for some. 'It was a huge task of researching and commemorating' some of the volunteers admitted, but it was all worthwhile.
The feeling of being in the exhibition and hearing people's miraculous stories made me see how exceptional humankind is. This project shows how important patriotism and ancestry are to many individuals and it also shows the compassion of many; it creates a beautiful piece of work.
This project has been on exhibition in the Greenwich Heritage Trust's Heritage Centre and will now be travelling to Charlton house. The invincibility of humankind is so prominent in this masterpiece that you will never forget the brave, the fallen, or the sacrifices of the Great War.
Chaya Seepaul, Dartford Grammar School for Girls
