February 2018

Updated News 5th February 2018 
Campbell College’s Men Behind The Glass Project

Living Legacies Project Officer, Michelle Young has just completed a successful series of creative and interactive drama workshops with Primary schools across East Belfast as part of Campbell College’s Men Behind The Glass project – a major restoration, education and community engagement initiative supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and focuses on the archives of this historic school.

The Men Behind the Glass involves a cross-section of schools and communities throughout East Belfast. The project, which is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, has been inspired by the WW1 heritage of the College and focuses on the photographs of 126 pupils and one member of staff who lost their lives in WW1. These pictures which are embedded in the Edwardian wood panelling in the College’s Central Hall have been deteriorating over time and the project is working with the Public Record Office in Northern Ireland (PRONI) to preserve and digitally restore the images while researchers work to uncover the real-life stories of the men – their personal family lives and their military service.‌

Mukesh Sharma, MBE, Committee Member for the Heritage Lottery Fund explained the importance of this project as “an exciting opportunity to open up the archives of Campbell College whose pupils played a key role in both WW1 and WW2. It offers the chance to pay respect to those lives lost but also to involve the whole community - encouraging everyone to tell the stories behind not just these 126 men, but all the men from East Belfast who made the ultimate sacrifice in WW1.”

Crucial to The Men Behind the Glass project is the engagement with other schools and the wider community and this January, Living Legacies Michelle Young was employed as the Creative Engagement Manager designing a storytelling and drama initiative which was delivered in Schools throughout East Belfast and the Bangor area.

‌The Time Traveller workshops toured a number of primary schools and introduced over 500 children to some of the 127 pupils from Campbell College who were lost in WW1. The project used performance and creative techniques to explore how drama can allow young people to interact with the real life and personal stories of those young men, many of whom lived in their own localities over 100 years ago.

The workshop was centred on the life of one of the men, Robert McConnell whose school life at Campbell and war journey was documented through a number of letters he sent home. His story was told through a performance by local actors, Chris Grant who played the role of Robert and Mary McGurk who took on the role of Campbell College teacher Miss Margaret Bole. Robert. Pupils then engaged in a series of creative writing and drama tasks based on letters and postcards sent home from the front before presenting the story of their soldier in a short performance.

The workshops proved to be hugely successful with pupils learning about the stories behind the men behind the glass, their lives at Campbell College and their service in the war. Teachers commented on how engaged their pupils were in the workshop and how the use of drama enhanced their learning experience, giving them an excellent insight into the sacrifice made by the young men from Campbell College.‌

Mark McKee, Campbell College’s Primary School Liaison Teacher, who came along to one of the workshops said, “The concept was excellent, with such a range of stimuli and learning opportunities. It was clear that the children enjoyed the range of activities greatly – they were engaged and willing throughout. Well done – such a positive experience for all concerned.”

Campbell College website
The Men behind The Glass Website
Vist The Communty Projects Page