OH, WHAT A LOVELY WAR!

Lucky youngsters from three East Ayrshire schools recently spent an exciting afternoon acting up, making a big noise and ending up covered in scars… but all in a good cause.

At the BBC

The children from Hurlford, St Columba’s and Ochiltree have been researching life in East Ayrshire during World War 2, by interviewing people who lived through the war years.

As part of this project, some of the young War Detectives were invited to BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow to write up their stories on the BBC website.

Also during their visit, they toured the studios and took part in workshops involving acting a scene from a Still Game script in costume, filming with BBC cameras, reading a WW2 news bulletin in a Radio Scotland studio and recording their programme.

The children also had the chance to be made up with scars, bruises and cuts by a BBC make-up artist whose normal work is with the River City cast.

A WW2 buffet was supplied in the Blue Room and the children sampled Anzac biscuits, potato floddies, rock cakes, treacle tart and VE Day Scotch eggs.

Pupils on set

The East Ayrshire’s War project has been running since March 2005 in Hurlford, Ochiltree, St Columba’s and St Patrick’s primary schools. Junior War Detectives have been involved in events such as jitterbug dance workshops, days as evacuees on a farm, museum visits and interviews. They have been writing about and filming their activities.

Project leader is Cultural Co-ordinator Elaine Scott, who said: “All the material – writing, photographs and film - produced by the children will appear on the national website www.wardetectives.info, which will become a future learning resource. This has been a great learning experience and good fun for all involved.”

This project has been supported by the Big Lottery Fund, Scottish Museums Council, Scottish Library and Information Council and Learning Teaching Scotland.

Pupils on set

war wounds

WW2 buffet