SECOND WORLD WAR
Au Revoir and a Safe Return

1: Numbers (VISUAL ART/GRAPHIC DESIGN)

Using the names of the men who joined the NOFU, create an infographic (poster) that pays tribute to those who travelled overseas during the Second World War. For example, use cut-outs of the names, numbers, and dates of the men in each sailing.

2: The Art of Remembering (RECITATION) 

Organize an event at which the passages described in this section are recited as an act of cultural preservation and remembrance. The event can be formal or informal—what’s important is recalling these people with respect. 

If possible, bring photos to pass around and share—images that will make the experiences and memory of those who served with the NOFU more tangible.

Perhaps, as an individual attending a “shed party” (for example), you might share a poem, letter, or song from the exhibit. (Example: “Convoy to Scotland.”)

3: New Places ‒ New Faces (VISUAL ART)

Create a series of sketches that depict the experiences examined in this section. 

Work quickly, and focus on capturing the emotions you image the men were feeling at each point or new experience along the way:

  • Leaving home
  • Voyaging overseas
  • Forming new relationships
  • Seeing some of the horrors of war
  • Experiencing new landscapes in Scotland
  • Being welcomed by the communities near where you work in the UK
  • Being questioned about not wearing a uniform or going into a combat service
  • Falling in love

Share your sketches, at a community event or online. 

4: Welcome, Lads! (WRITING)

Imagine you live near where foresters from across the ocean are at work. As men from the NOFU come and go in your community, you feel moved to express your gratitude for their contribution to the war effort—which is happening much closer to your home than theirs. Write a letter of thanks that can be read aloud to the men at one of the work camps nearby.  

Alternatively, write a letter of concern, in which you express any mixed feelings you have about their presence. They are destroying the landscape around your home. They use methods unfamiliar to you and your community. They also have paid work when so many others in the UK are unemployed. You have even heard stories of fights between them and men from your community. What would a letter of this sort convey?

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