Art unit-Great artists and war memorials

A series of art lessons for primary teachers exploring great artists, architects and designers in history. The six lessons focus on war memorials which were designed by renowned architects and sculptors in the wake of World War I and culminates in pupils designing their own war memorial for the local area.

The Armistice was signed on 11th November 1918 brought World War I to an end. After the initial jubilation and celebration about the news the war had ended, communities across the UK expressed a desire to commemorate those who had lost their lives. As the bodies of the fallen were not repatriated and instead buried in military cemeteries aboard, families did not have a place where they lived to grieve for their loved ones. A local war memorial provided relatives with this place of remembrance. Around two thirds of the approximate 100,000 war memorials in the UK were created in the years following the end of World War I.

Schools who were involved in projects which commemorated the centenary of the World War I may also like to commemorate the centenary of their local war memorial. This resource has been created to enable schools to incorporate this significant anniversary into their art curriculum whilst finding out about great artists from history. The resources could also be used as part of a local history topic.

Resource includes:

• Unit overview (medium term plan)
• 6 lesson plans
• Teachers’ helpsheet ‘War Memorial Designers’
• Teachers’ helpsheets about war memorial designers
  * Sir Herbert Baker
  * Sir Reginald Blomfield
  * Sir Robert Lorimer
  * Sir Edwin Lutyens
  * Albert Toft
• Pupil fact cards for the same war memroial designers
• Resource sheet with links to war memorials designed by Baker, Blomfield, Lorimer, Lutyens and Toft