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Pupils tune in to the reality of war

Eve Dugdale
13/ 9/2006

LIVING through a war is not something many Glossop schoolchildren can claim to have done.

But pupils at Glossopdale College have been hearing first-hand experiences of warfare from survivors and have made a CD to record what they have learned.

Songwriter and musician Aidan Jolly has been working with pupils looking at war past and present and its implications on our lives today.

Funded by the Big Lottery and managed by High Peak Community Arts, in collaboration with Glossopdale's assistant principal Chris O'Hara, the project is part of a borough-wide brief called Their Past, Your Future.

Aidan says the project was fascinating for all involved.

"We spoke to three people who'd been through World War Two. One of the men had been in bomber command - he'd been a reargunner. Another man, Walter, had been in Montgomery's travelling headquarters.

"We also spoke to a woman who had been evacuated from Salford to Rawtenstall," said Aidan.

"We were also able to speak to two people who had fled war recently. We spoke to Jean Blanchard Azip, a musician who came from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"He came to the UK as a child. His mother, father and sister were killed in the war in the Congo. Another man was originally from Kurdistan. He fled Saddam Hussein's regime - he was committing genocide against the Kurdish people.

"Students were remarkably mature and came up with some brilliant questions for the interviewees.

"They asked whether there was ever such a thing as a 'just war'. Jean and Walter spoke very eloquently about how modern warfare often comes down to a battle for resources. It was very interesting how a young man from the Congo and a veteran from the Second World War explained things in a very similar way."

• MEMBERS of the public are invited to the launch of 'The War Road' CD at Talbot House, Glossopdale College, at 7.30pm on Thursday, 21 September. To find out more telephone 01663 744516.