What can memorials tell us about
British Foreign Policy 1854-1914?
Key Stage 5: History
Learning Aims and Outcomes
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Students will use historical evidence to help in their understanding British
Foreign Policy from the 1850s to the start of the First World War
Students will be able to demonstrate skills in searching, assessing and
using relevant evidence
Students will gain a better understanding of British foreign policy and its
impact on Britain and the Empire, including, amongst others, the Crimean,
Egypt and Boer wars
Relates to: Edexcel: GCE History Unit 2 C1 - The Experience of Warfare in
Britain: Crimea, Boer and the First World War, 1854-1929
Relates to: OCR: Unit F961 - British History Period Studies - Option B:
Modern 1783-1994: Foreign and Imperial Policies 1856–1914
Created by English Heritage - National Monuments Record, taken from www.heritageexplorer.org.uk
STEP 1: Go to www.heritageexplorer.org.uk
Select Search from the left-hand menu
Type war, memorial into the Keywords box.
Then select Victorian (1836-1901) from the dropdown list under When
STEP 2: Open each of the thumbnails to find out more about the memorials.
As you read them create two lists.
One of the countries they were fought in and another of the names of the
wars / Reasons for being there
Share your lists with the class: Victorian War Memorials
Name of Country
Name of War/Reason for being there
STEP 3: Repeat your search: selecting Edwardian (1902-1913)
Use these results to add to your list of wars and countries
Share your lists with the class: Edwardian War Memorials
Name of Country
Name of War/Reason for being there
Your list should look something like this
Name of Country
Name of War/Reason for being there
Ukraine (Russia)
Crimean War (1853-6)
India
Indian Mutiny (1857-9)
Sierra Leone
Crown Colony/ Naval Station
Jamaica
Crown Colony/ Naval Station
South Africa
Kafir War (1877-8) & Zulu War (1879)
Afghanistan
Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-80)
Egypt
Egypt War (1882)
Sudan
Egypt War (1882)
South Africa
Boer War (1899 - 1902)
North China
Boxer Rebellion (1900)
STEP 5: Use an atlas or online world map to mark all the
countries from your list onto this map of the world
STEP 6: Discuss the map - what kind of a picture of
British Foreign Policy is beginning to appear?
http://www.freeworldmaps.net/political.html
Whilst it is clear from the numbers of memorials that the Crimean War and
the Boer War were the two main conflicts during this period, your lists
should also raise some interesting questions:
?
Why did 329 members of the 66th Berkshire Regiment give
'their lives for their country at Girisk, Maiwand and
Kandahar during the Afghan campaign 1879-80'
?
Why were sailors on HMS Centurion 'killed or died of
wounds received whilst gallantly doing their duty in the
Naval Brigade, North China, 1900'?
?
Why did 44 'Officers and Men of H.M.S. Trident' die of
yellow fever in Sierra Leone?
STEP 6: Divide into groups - each group should choose a different
country from the list and research it. You must try to answer the following
questions:
• What were the British doing there?
• What did they stand to gain?
• What did they stand to lose?
• How might this action fit in with the other conflicts?
• Why did someone bother to build a memorial?
Use text books and the internet to find out more about each conflict
(see tables below for some interesting links - if you need them)
Name of
Country
Name of War/Reason for being there
Ukraine
(Russia)
Crimean War (1853-6)
India
Indian Mutiny (1857-9)
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/battles/crimea/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/archive/tol_archive/article496367.ece
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?st=grid&co=ftncnw
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qprnj
http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armycampaigns/indiancampaigns/muti
ny/mutiny.htm
Sierra Leone Crown Colony/ Naval Station
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/royal_navy_article_01.shtml
http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/visit_see_victory_cfexhibition_infosheet.h
tm
Jamaica
Crown Colony/ Naval Station
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1874/jun/18/question
Name of
Name of War/Reason for being there
Country
South Africa Kafir War (1877-8) & Zulu War (1879)
http://stmarys.ca/~wmills/course322/Kaffir_wars.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/zulu_01.shtml
Afghanistan Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-80)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/berkshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid
_8225000/8225507.stm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1229067/One-British-soldiersdiaries-bloody-battle-Afghanistan-130-years-ago-provide-haunting-insighthorrors-troops-face-now.html
Egypt
Egypt War (1882)
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/battles/egypt/
http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/egypt2.html
Sudan
Egypt War (1882)
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/battles/egypt/aftermath.htm
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/empire/gordon/bio1.html
Name of Country
South Africa
Name of War/Reason for being there
Boer War (1899 - 1902)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/boer_wars_01.shtml
#six
http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/Who-we-are/Museum-andarchives/Historical-factsheets/Boer-wars
North China
Boxer Rebellion (1900)
http://history.cultural-china.com/en/34History6705.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00j4hmv
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/the-boxerrebellion/8056.html
http://www.economist.com/node/17723014
STEP 7: Each group should share their research with the rest
of the class. Then each student should return to the original
question:
What can memorials tell us
about British Foreign Policy
1854-1914?
Write a short essay summarising your findings and
use them to answer the question above