On 29 March we launched the Remember RAF100 project at Farsley Farfield Primary School near Leeds with Year Two and Year Six students, along with teachers and local stakeholders including the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Jane Dowson. Remember RAF100 is a First World War commemoration programme which marks the formation of the RAF 100 years ago (on 1 April 1918) as well as commemorating the many air service personnel who lost their lives during the First World War. Visit our Remember RAF100 page to discover more about the project and how you can get involved.
Over 400 cardboard planes were created for the project launch. Students individually decorated the planes and wrote on them the names of air service personnel from the Remember RAF100 database. The planes were then displayed in the school hall for everyone to view, and students enjoyed walking through the path of planes to find the ones they had created.
The planes decorated by students at Farsley Farfield Primary School are part of a nationwide commemoration project to honour the 4,805 aerial forces who lost their lives during World War One. To commemorate those who are buried in the UK, Remember RAF100 participants can Name Your Plane after an air service person who lost their life during the First World War. Visit our take part page to find out more about Name Your Plane.
During the launch we held a number of activities where students learnt about the RAF and remembrance and read out poems by Jim Eldridge that were specially commissioned for the project. Students also took part in activities to illustrate the project poetry book and make aeroplanes out of celery and toast.
Everyone then walked to a local cemetery to commemorate Charles Butler, a Captain in the Royal Flying Corps who died in the First World War. Students took part in readings and played a recording of the Last Post.
Your school can take part in Remember RAF100 by emailing us at RAF100@big-ideas.org.
