Youngsters taught about Second World War at Discovery Museum tea dance

Oct 21 2009 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

MELODIES mixed with memories yesterday as part of a project which will teach youngsters about the experiences of those who lived through the Second World War.

Tyne & Wear Museums’ Their Past Your Future project has involved primary school pupils from Newcastle and South Tyneside coming up with 1,000 questions for older people about life during the conflict.

Eva 83 and George 81 Cummings of Darlington celebrate 64th wedding anniversary at a tea dance in the Great Hall at the Discovery Museum

Eva 83 and George 81 Cummings of Darlington celebrate 64th wedding anniversary

Eva 83 and George 81 Cummings of Darlington celebrate 64th wedding anniversary

Tea dance in the Great Hall at the Discovery Museum

Teresa Armstrong 80 of Cullercoats and Olivia Cowan 12 of Gosforth at the tea dance in the Great Hall at the Discovery Museum

Ronald Ingram 77 of West Denton and Das Singh 13 of Fenham at the Tea dance in the Great Hall at the Discovery Museum

Hilda Scott 74 of West Denton and Nadira Sharmima 12 of Elswick at the Tea dance in the Great Hall at the Discovery Museum

Eva 83 and George 81 Cummings of Darlington celebrate 64th wedding anniversary at a tea dance in the Great Hall at the Discovery Museum

Pat Blenkinsop 61 of Fenham, Caitlin Stuart 12 of Kenton, Mary Bastable 68 of Fenham and Anne Leddy 73 of Sheriff Hill in the Great Hall at the Discov ...

Around 200 older people were invited to a tea dance in the Great Hall of Newcastle’s Discovery Museum.

Music was provided by a seven-piece band led by John Hallam, retired principal curator of the museum, who lives in Whitley Bay.

Against a backdrop of classic tunes from We’ll Meet Again to Singin’ in the Rain, students from Gosforth High School in Newcastle put the questions to the guests from older people’s organisations and community groups including Age Concern, the Grange Day Centre, Throckley and the Wallington Evacuees. Their stories were recorded for the oral histories archive which will be added to museum collections and also used as a classroom teaching aid.

The event also ties in with an exhibition at the museum, Peace For Your Time, which looks at Britain’s involvement in conflicts.

Project officer Kath Boodhai said: “ The Tea Dance was a relaxing background and enabled us to involve younger and older individuals.”

It was an extra special day for George Cummings, 80, and his wife Eva, 83, who met on VE day and celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary yesterday.

George grew up in Byker in Newcastle and moved to Darlington through his father’s job on the railways. He met Eva, who came from Redworth in County Durham, and the couple have lived in Darlington ever since.

George worked as a railway fireman and then a bus driver for 30 years, and finally as mayor’s chauffeur. The only time the couple have been apart was during George’s National Service in the RAF. “For 11 months I was stationed at RAF Longbenton on Tyneside and each weekend I used to cycle to Darlington and back,” he said. “We went to tea dances regularly. They were marvellous and we loved them.”

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