Students Learning About That Thing That Happened Before WWII
No 1918 update today because we have spent the last three days at a homeschool conference, telling WWI stories to homeschoolers who came by. Many said they didn't know much about WWI, but they liked WWII, so we explained that WWI is really WWII Part I, and could also be described as the Steampunk War. Many noticed the Sturmpanzerwagen t-shirt and were surprised to learn the Germans had a big ugly crawler long before George Lucas ever thought of such a thing.
The booth included an RFC uniform, helmet, and other items from the Vintage Aero Flying Museum. Many students were impressed to realize they were looking at clothing over 100 years old. There was also a chair to sit in to feel how (in)secure a pilot might feel two miles up in an open cockpit. We made a "Issoudun" signpost with pointers for other places of interest in 1918, such as the Somme, Meuse-Argonne, Belleau Wood, and Paris. There were also signs with stories behind them, such as, "Remove spurs before flight," "185th Aero Squadron. Watch for bats," and "Do not jump. You have no parachute."
The Red Baron stopped by to add to the ambiance, and a crowd collected wherever he went, asking questions and learning things such as that the Red Baron did not wear a villainous waxed mustache.
All in all, we can report the younger generation is eager to learn more about WWI, and we encourage all our readers to get busy teaching them!