Year 6 stepped back in time with a History day last week, focusing on Gosport’s role in WW2. We are so lucky to have such a rich history in our town, and the pupils were fascinated to learn how the town had changed since the war. We looked at maps from the 1930s; photographs comparing parts of the town from then and now; read accounts from people who were children in Gosport during the war and even found a letter from the headteacher of Alverstoke to families, detailing their evacuation and shelter procedure to keep students safe.

We investigated why Gosport had been a target during the war and concluded that, due to our access to ports, docks and proximity to Portsmouth, we had a huge role to play in making ammunition, battle ships, repairing crafts etc.

All of this learning was complemented by a visit to the old ARP (air raid protection) bunker on The Avenue in Alverstoke. The volunteers there were incredibly knowledgeable, and Year 6 were fantastic in challenging them with excellent questions. During the visit, a few things that were learned stood out the most: the fact that 95% of houses in Gosport were affected in some way by bombings; women’s helmets had space for their hair; teenage boys on bikes were used to deliver messages from the ARP bunker into town; the bunker walls are incredibly thick and reinforced and it was designed so that if one part was destroyed, the other half would still stand.

Year 6 have thoroughly enjoyed learning about WW2, and this was a fantastic conclusion to our history topic. What an interesting place we call home!