What can little ones do in War time?

It is rare to hear the voice of children in any century.  The Birmingham Weekly Mercury's children's competition in 1915 on the theme 'What can the Little Ones do in War Time?', offers an insight to life in Birmingham during the war through children's eyes.  First prize of half a crown was awarded to Irene Harrison (age 13) from 145 Ladypool Road, Sparkbrook, one of six children from a widowed mother.

Birmingham's King Tom, Suffragettes and our Right to Vote

Touching history - Thomas Atwood, Leader of
Birmingham Political Union, the most effective political
organisation exerting pressure for parliamentary reform.

On Saturday 15 September, 3pm – 4.30pm PHC will be leading a heritage walk from Victoria Square to discover Birmingham's heritage in the fight for our rights to vote.

Making Birmingham Votes Count

Debating Representation in Council Chambers
6th February 2018

Following our Rally celebrating 100 years since the signing of 'The Representation of the People Act', People's Heritage Co-operative are working with Birmingham City Council Wellbeing Service seeking funding for a range of activities throughout 2018 and into 2019.

Celebrating Suffrage

200,000 demonstrate their support for suffrage in Birmingham
in 1832, leading to further campaigning for Universal Suffrage 

The Representation of the People Act was signed on 6th February 1918, giving the right to vote to most men and, for the first time, some women. Birmingham played a key role in the UK history of suffrage and we'll be celebrating on 6th February 2018 between 11 and 2pm outside Birmingham Council House.

If you can't join us please take part in our quick survey.

Past, Present, Future: Women Shaping History

Dominant perception: Suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst
arrested for militancy

On 13^th January I was fortunate enough to attend the Fabian Society New Year conference in London. In light of the recent prominence of campaigns such as Me Too and Time’s Up, as well as the Westminster sexual harassment scandal, gender inequality was a major theme throughout the conference, beginning with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s inspiring keynote speech on female empowerment and the discrimination and adversity which women continue to face.

Archiving the Wholesale Market

The Wholesale Market covers 0.5 square miles in the city centre

Birmingham rag market, indoor and outdoor market are easy to find, but the Wholesale Market, the mother of all Birmingham Markets, not many people seem to know about, or that it will be demolished in early 2018.

Moseley Road Baths Crowdfunder

Moseley Road Baths is one of the nation’s most significant heritage swimming pools – it is the oldest Grade II* Listed baths still open for public swimming. It’s also much loved and well used as our community pool, where last year nearly 80,000 people swam.

Where's Father Harry now?

Trading at Birmingham Sunday Carboot, Wholesale Market

It has been said that Father Harry Clarke, a Catholic priest from Stockport, introduced the car boot sale to the UK as a charity fundraiser, after seeing a similar event or trunk fair in Canada while on holiday there in the early 1970s.

The Tea Party – Refreshing the Curriculum

Within the People's Heritage Co-operative we are passionate about delivering exciting, creative and enlightening heritage projects to make history come alive for younger generations.  On 6th July we will be sharing some of our work with teachers to support local schools in delving into history.

The 'Tea Party' at mac Birmingham is an opportunity for teachers to learn more about the exciting educational provision being offered by arts, culture and heritage organisations.

We will have a stall where we will be showcasing a range of educational and school work by the People's Heritage Co-operative and our members in schools across Birmingham, including Untold Stories, Fight for the Right, Women's History Birmingham, Paganel Archives, Children of War and Pool of Memories.

Do book a place and come and see us, we are always open to conversations about our work and potential projects!

This is an Arts Connect event in partnership with Birmingham Education Partnership produced by The Company.  It runs from 3:00pm to 5:30pm at mac Birmingham on 6th July.

Sunday carboot at Wholesale Market, going, going

Sunday morning we arrive at the car boot, packed with people and traders.  We have cameras and are ready to photo what could be one of the last Sunday carboot sales at Birmingham Wholesale Market:

'We just turn up and hope it's still here'

Says Andy from APS recycling, one of the 200 or so stalls there today.

Zeppelins in Birmingham?

Publicity Department, Central Recruiting Depot.
 Restoration by Adam Cuerden.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Division Washington, D.C

'On a foggy, frosty night of January 31 to February 1, 1916, Tipton, Bradley, Wednesbury and Walsall were bombed by Zeppelins in one of the heaviest air raids of the First World War. By the end of that terrible night, 35 local people were dead, including the Lady Mayoress of Walsall, Mary Julia Slater.'

The L21 Zeppelin responsible is still one of the largest 'combat aircraft' to have ever flown.  On 31st of January Captain Max Deitrich of the L21 was planning to bomb Liverpool when he saw the lights of the Black country below.  Birmingham had almost certainly been spared as the council had prudently put a police order in place to 'show no lights'.

Learning from history

Nigel Farage, John Bull gnome

2016 has certainly felt like an 'eventful' year. How does it compare with the past and what can we look forward to?  The Prince of Wales took the extraordinary step to use Radio 4 'Thought for the day' to raise his concerns over the recent rise in 'Populism', echoing 'the dark days of the 1930s'.

Recovery and recuperation in Bournville

Fircroft College during WW1
Thanks LoB: MS 466/3a/831

With the onset of World War 1 and in particular the Gallipoli campaign in early and mid 1915, the hospitals in Birmingham began to receive casualties, both ill and wounded servicemen. In addition to the acute facilities available at the 1st Southern General Hospital, convalescent homes were required to allow individuals to regain their health and strength. Throughout the city appropriate facilities were sought and requisitioned by the War Office. In Bournville two buildings were identified and made available by Cadburys – Fircroft and The Beeches.

Untold Stories: sharing stories across the generations

As part of The People's Heritage Co-operative's HLF funded project, 'Untold Stories: Birmingham's Wounded Soldiers from WW1', Year 8 pupils at Swanshurst School took part in a series of workshops with Rachel Gillies - Community Film Maker to learn how to conduct filmed oral history interviews.

In Soldiers Footsteps: Commemorating WW1 and the Somme

Often individual stories, especially in regards to the First World War, are lost when commemorating a big and significant part of history. The workshop I created for the Year 5 children at Paganel school was aimed at highlighting the individuals involved worldwide in the war and extracting their individual stories, not only of their experiences of war but their families, who were left behind.

Campaigning for our wounded soldiers

Find out more about Untold Stories

'Untold Stories' has unearthed a history which we in Birmingham can be proud of, in terms of medical treatment of  World War one soldiers, but also a history of prejudice and discrimination which is as relevant today as it was 100 years ago.

Filming Untold Stories

So here I’m sat at my desk, looking through scores of photos and hours of footage, wondering how I’m going to pull so much fantastic stuff together.  My job, you see, is to turn all of the lectures, interviews, workshops and explorations we have undertaken through our ‘Untold Stories’ project into a finished film for our launch on 13^th September.

Working hard 100 years on

Graduates leaving the ceremony

Last week I was invited by Baron Bilimoria of Chelsea, in full ceremonial dress as chancellor of the University of Birmingham to sit back in the Great Hall of the University of Birmingham and appreciate the history of just that one room - the events and celebrations that have happened there.

Birmingham Women: Past & Present Revisited by Women’s History Birmingham

Birmingham munitions workers, WW1

We're excited to announce a project by a new group that involves members of the PHC, ‘Birmingham Women: Past & Present Revisited’ by Women's History Birmingham. The project has been supported by an Our Heritage grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and will focus on a sponsored walk produced by the editors of the Feminist Review journal in the 1980s called Birmingham Women: Past & Present.

Birmingham: Leading the Way

Birmingham Archives Kynoch Factory, WW1 images 

In 1914, Birmingham's reputation as a centre of medical specialisms came into it's own. The rapid set up of the First Southern General Hospital at Birmingham University on 15th August, just 11 days after war was declared, following months of preparation, set the template for Military Hospitals across the country serving the wounded in the coming years. A mere cursory look at the Mills' Munitions Factory photos at Birmingham Archives and Heritage gives an indication of the numbers and severity of the injuries to come.

Professor Jonathon Reinarz' talk at Birmingham University on 11th February 2016 to launch People's Heritage Co-operative Untold Stories Project provided a great start to a project which has at it's heart the uncovering of the stories of those wounded soldiers, the medical professionals they came into contact with and the development of medical practice and provision for injured and disabled soldiers.