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466 names of Ilkeston men who gave their lives in WWI have been machine woven onto individual name-tapes and pinned onto stretched canvas in the image of a pigeon. Thousands of homer pigeons also lost their lives during WWI. They were used to transfer important messages and were awarded medals of heroism for saving soldiers lives.
The work will be exhibited at Erewash Museum in September 2015.
A big thank you to all those that have returned their completed name tapes. I am contacting possible exhibition spaces with a view to showing the work in 2015. However, there are still around 60 blue and 60 brown tapes to be returned, and I would like to receive these in the next couple of weeks. Once this time has passed I will invite more participants and there will be a possibility that late returns may not be included. Please contact me for any help or return any unused tapes.
Visit Military Boots Project at The Centre for Hidden Histories if you wish to leave a comment about the project or include any details about your family history.
To view the recent Military Boots news letter please see below dated 9 Nov 2014. I received this note recently with the seven completed name-tapes and would like to share it with you. Dear Joy,
My Dad A. A. D’Oyley died in January 1993 aged 71. I knew about the crash, he was the front bomb aimer in a Lancaster, and the “bubble” broke off. He saw, he watched “his mates” die as he fell. When he got back to the UK he visited all six families of his crew as well as writing to tell them.
I have only just found out that he was stationed at East Kirkby, Lincolnshire and just found out the names of the crew. I’ve been unable to find any other crews families. Thank you for this opportunity to remember them all, back as “mates”, all the crew.
The Crew: R. J. Waugh R.A.F.V.R. Age ? Killed: B. J. Cooper R.A.F.V.R. Age 21 Killed: A. T. Rogers R.A.F.V.R. Age 21 Killed: P. Lunt R.A.F.V.R. Age 21 Killed: J. G. L. Martin R.A.F.V.R. Age ? Killed: H. Shakespeare R.A.F. Age 22 Killed: A. A. D’Oyley R.A.F.V.R. P. O. W. Camp Stalag.
Military Boots was invited to Thoresby Hall on 9th November 2014 as part of the Remembrance Day activities and Winterfest hand made artwork.
There are approximately 60 blue name tapes to be returned by Royal Mail, please complete and return to Joy as soon as possible. Work on the boots has begun and completed brown name tapes are arriving daily with 74 still to be allocated. The call out has been published to 117 Women's Institute groups across Nottinghamshire and participants are already requesting stitch packs.
Thank you to everyone who has participated so far, the completed canvas will tour to several of the partner sites during 2015 (not yet confirmed).
Visit Military Boots Project at The Centre for Hidden Histories if you wish to leave a comment about the project or include any details about your family history.
This site The Great War 1914 - 1918 provides an overview of the First World War battlefields on the Western Front by showing you where they are and what you can see there today. Established in 1998, the website is dedicated to the memory of 20 family members who served in the military during the Great War of 1914-1918.
All 20 members are to be included on the canvas Military Boots and Rosina Kaulins was happy to volunteer to sew 10 name-tapes pictured below, thank you Rosina.
Participate Centre for Hidden Histories
Participate The Great War 1914-1918
A big thank you to everyone who visited Rufford Abbey today to sew the name of an armed forces family member.
A Nottinghamshire artist has found a unique way of remembering those who served, and those who continue to do so.
The Centre for Hidden Histories is one of five World War One Engagement Centres, established by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to engage with and support communities as they seek to commemorate and reflect upon the century-long legacy of the First World War.
Staffed by a consortium of academics from the universities of Nottingham, Derby and Nottingham Trent, the Centre for Hidden Histories has a particular interest in the themes of migration and displacement, the experience of ‘others’ from countries and regions within Europe, Asia and the Commonwealth, the impact and subsequent legacies of the war on diverse communities within Britain, remembrance and commemoration, and identity and faith.
A big thank you to all those that visited Rufford on 5th October 2014 to view the work in progress, there was a fantastic turnout with visitors queuing to search the canvas for their contribution.
Participants are invited to sew the name of their family member who has served or is serving in the armed forces for inclusion on the canvas - Military Boots. Contact Joy here for your postal stitch pack
