INTRODUCTION
(Why Woods Workers?)

The Past Is a Foreign Country (CONSIDER)

Successfully putting yourself in the shoes of someone from the past is much more difficult and complex than you might think. First, the past is not the same as the present—there are so many differences in lifestyle and worldview between previous eras and our own. Second, trying to inhabit the experience of someone else is fraught with issues—one person can never truly know the experience of another.

That said, there is enormous value in trying to mentally inhabit another time and place— and you will be asked to do this as you make your way through this website. However, be cautious with any conclusions you might be tempted to draw. We must be very thoughtful and understand that our imaginings are, at best, limited, tentative, and fragile.

To get you started: imagine you are taking a trip…

Think about an occasion when you visited a place for the first time. Everything was new to you—different and perhaps strange. Now imagine how the Newfoundland foresters who travelled to the United Kingdom might have felt, especially those who had never journeyed much past their communities or country.

Learning about the past is very much like travelling to a new place. Before we start out on a trip, we can imagine what we might experience, do some research about our destination, and even anticipate what it will look and sound like, but it’s not until we actually get there that we can begin to “know” it.

Similarly, when we learn about the past, we can imagine what it might have been like. But that is much more like looking at a travel brochure than actually taking a trip. We can never know the past for certain because we haven’t been there and we can’t actually go there.

Still, when we “journey” into the past, it can be exciting and exhilarating. New vistas open before us—and if we are lucky and try very hard, we can learn many things. But here’s an important travel tip: when you “pack” for these journeys, be careful not to take too much with you.

In particular, you should leave behind your tinted glasses, to be careful that your view of the past isn’t coloured by what you think you see or might see.

You must also leave behind your ideas of what you think it will be like. Likewise, you must resist imposing your ideas and understandings and values from the present onto a place and time where they didn’t yet exist.

This doesn’t mean that you cannot make moral judgments about the actions of individuals and events of the past, but such assessment must be informed by what the spirit of the day was at the specific time and place we’re looking at. Many moral ideas are timeless—such as justice—although what people thought was “right” a century ago might not be viewed the same way today.

1. Beginnings: Trees and Forests (GUIDED IMAGINATION)

When you think of the technology of war, what comes to mind? Airplanes? Bombs? Guns? Certainly, these are familiar associations. But what about trees? During both the First and Second World Wars, armed forces relied heavily on wood for a wide range of purposes.

The trees that the men of the Forestry Units harvested from wooded areas of the United Kingdom were milled into a variety of products, from rifle butts to beams used to build bridges and reinforce mine shafts.

Think of your own life today. How many items in your home, school, or workplace are manufactured from wood or wood by-products?

The bottom line is that humans have harvested trees for countless thousands of years to meet their needs and wants. Many of us take this invaluable resource for granted.

But take a closer look:

• See if you can find some unpainted wooden items nearby. Look closely at the grain of the wood. What pattern do you see?
• If you can, locate some newly milled lumber. Notice its scent.
• Locate some pieces of finished and unfinished wood. Touch them. How do they feel?

In your mind’s eye, travel back in time and imagine where the wood originated:

• Imagine the wood in its original form as a tree.
• See the tree towering up above you.
• See the branches, the leaves or needles, and the bark. What are their colours? What patterns and textures do you see?
• If you touched these elements, how would they feel?
• What sounds does your tree make as the wind blows? What other sounds do you hear?
• What do you smell?
• Imagine the wildlife that might have touched the tree: squirrels running up its trunk, birds resting on its branches. Perhaps there’s a bird’s nest, where eggs are protected and warmed, or babies have hatched and taken their first flight. Imagine other animals passing close to the tree as they move through the forest: rabbits, caribou, foxes, and bears.
• Maybe other humans saw this tree, perhaps climbed its branches or rested in its shade.

2: What Catches Your Eye? (PHOTOGRAPHY)

Take your phone or camera and visit a wooded area. Make photographs of what you see. Perhaps focus on the larger shapes or features of the trees. Or look closely at one tree. What patterns and textures do you see?

Make a variety of photographs and curate them into a collage or a photo essay. Consider why these particular aspects of the forest capture your attention. What are you trying to convey about the forest in your choice and arrangement of photos?

3: Your Words(ORAL/WRITING)

As you take time to explore, use the audio recorder on your phone to capture your thoughts and impressions in single words or phrases. Later, listen to your recording. Write down some of the words and phrases you used. Use these expressions to craft a poem or short essay about your experience in the woods.

4: My Starting Point (REFLECTION)

What, if any, are your connections to the experiences of the First World War or the Second World War?

If you have a specific connection (such as a relative who went to war) or just an interest in these experiences, take some time to share it with someone, in conversation or a journal. Here are some questions to prompt your thoughts:

• Why you are curious about or interested in this experience?
• What were your earliest understandings of wartime experiences?
• What have you learned since then?
• How has what you’ve learned influenced your view of—or attitude toward—the past?

If you do not have a specific connection, what are you curious to learn?

It might be useful to use a simple chart to organize your thoughts. It can serve as a record of what you learn on your journey into the past.