Dragon Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 New Labour stopped teaching our kids about our proud imperial past and both world wars. My own son spent more time studying the flippin Holocaust than our own history. I find the casual anti-Semitism of this comment offensive. Using the adjective 'flippin' to describe the Holocaust is cruelly dismissive. It downgrades the Holocaust to a mere nuisance which ought to be pushed aside so that something more important can take its place. Our own history includes Jewish people who were caught up in the Holocaust, refugees, people who lost family members or people who liberated the camps. I have heard no evidence that young people are no longer taught about the world wars. I also mind the racism that assumes that travellers were likely to be responsible. Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppc1919 Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 Reported in the Manchester Evening News online today (two pictures shown on the site) that the War Memorial on the Princess Road bus depot has been taken down, as thieves have yet again tried to prise it from the wall. This is the second time this has happened to this particular memorial in the last few weeks. I drove past on Sunday and the previous damage was still visible. The latest attempt to steal it was discovered on Wednesday morning. This is a busy route, even in the early hours, as it leads from the city to the motorway, so someone must have seen what was happening. It will now be propped against the wall on Sunday, between 10.00am and 1.00pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 that the War Memorial on the Princess Road bus depot has been taken down, The depot has a limited life I understand and it's probably now the right time to move it to the Museum of Transport which, IIRC, is where the memorial from the demolished Birchfields Road depot is held (I think Martin Wills has piccies of this one). John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppc1919 Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 I haven't heard anything about the depot being a possibility for closure, although I agree that it should now be moved to the Museum of Transport. Sad that it should have to be considered whilst the building remains in use/standing, but necessary if it is to be preserved, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 Sad that it should have to be considered whilst the building remains in use/standing, Moving it now eliminates the possibility of it getting lost when Stagecoach, hardly well known for its interest in anything other than profit, demolishes the building for housing. I think its about 3 years off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 New Labour stopped teaching our kids about our proud imperial past and both world wars. Was that the New Labour that was in power when I was taught nothing about the World Wars in the 1960s? Probably not. It would have been under MacMillan or Douglas-Home's agenda. Was that the New Labour that was in power when I was taught nothing about our proud imperial past in the 1970s? (Mind, I do remember being shown a 1970s series about Britain's part in India, and still recoil at some of the incidents portrayed. Amritsar, for instance. Proud of that past?). Once again, nope ... that would be Heath's regime. Education has shied away from these topics under every government, of all shades, since when - 1950s? To blame these incidents solely on New Labour is to ignore just about every aspect of post WW2 British history, politics, economic and social development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 Moving it now eliminates the possibility of it getting lost ... demolishes the building for housing True. The number of drill hall plaques and memorials which have vanished at point of demolition is depressing. It's necessary to put a planning clause in to preserve them and that needs alert individuals to think ahead. There are local precedents for moving premises' memorials. Even as early as 1933, there was an unveiling of a memorial pillar in Whitworth Park to commemorate the 7th Battn Manchester Regt, whose drill hall was sold. It was impossible to retain the previous memorial as it was inseparably attached to the interior wall. Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 Was that the New Labour that was in power when I was taught nothing about the World Wars in the 1960s? Indeed, my history curriculum ended circa 1875. History "O" level taken 1966 (failed). J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Clay Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 My education all took place during the much revered '13 years of Tory misrule' as it was often called. WW2 certainly didn't come into the 'O' level syllabus - it was almost, let's face it, current affairs. In fact, as I recall, 'history' ended well before 1914, as John says. But maybe things changed in the glory years of Wislon/Heath/Callaghan/Thatcher? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 No, Jim, sadly not. Wilson and Heath were Prime Minister when I was at school. All I knew about the Second World War was what my dad and mum told me. Oh and what I read for myself. And I did 'A' level History. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 Both my niece & nephew have had the good fortune to study WW1 (the niece twice - in the USA and UK). The nephew also "did" WW2 in his GCSE syllabus. Neither asked Uncle John for any help with their WW1 studies - probably indicating sound judgement amongst the young folk. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 Indeed, my history curriculum ended circa 1875. History "O" level taken 1966 (failed). J My History O level (1986) actually went beyond the year that you sat yours!!! (though we didn't do the 2 world wars either). We covered the Vietnam War which, as you know, still had several years left to run when you were sitting your exam! (does that make you feel old??? ) dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 7 November , 2008 Share Posted 7 November , 2008 We covered the Vietnam War which, as you know, still had several years left to run when you were sitting your exam! (does that make you feel old??? ) You'd never think our Croony was the fresh-faced youth wot he is. Innit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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