Remembrance Day

Originally called 'Armistice Day' in 1919, Remembrance Day is observed every year on November 11th to mark the armistice agreement made at 11am on November 11th 1918 which ended the First World War. Today, the anniversary is used to remember everyone who died during war. 

This month the GCH Library will also be celebrating 'Non-Fiction November' - a great opportunity to challenge yourself to read more non-fiction books! Texts on topics such as the World Wars and many more can be found in the library. 

If you would like to find out more about Remembrance Day and its history and traditions, you may wish to read The Story of Remembrance Day by Monica Hughes or 1918: Remembrance Day by Gillian Clements. 

Other great non-fiction resources linked to Remembrance Day include:

Horrible Histories: The Blitzed Brits by Terry Deary 

In Flanders Fields: the 1917 Campaign by Leon Wolff 

Memoirs of an Infantry Office by Siegfried Sassoon

Hidden: True Stories of children who survived World War II by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis 

Dear Jelly: Family letters from the First World War by Sarah Ridley 

Tales from the Secret Annexe by Anne Frank 

Somme Mud: The Experiences of an Infantryman in France, 1916-1919 by E.P.F. Lynch 

Armistice 1918 by Reg Grant 

Women at War (ed.) Nigel Fountain 

Another very important resource is The Black British soldiers who were deliberately forgotten video which can be accessed via the library app. This is a great way to learn about the black military units who, though vital to the Allied victory, were intentionally erased in order to advance the ideology of the British Empire. For more information about the contributions of Black British soldiers in the World Wars you may also wish to read Black and British by David Bygott or Black and British: a forgotten history by David Olusoga. 

While this selection has focused mainly on the World Wars, as we remember those who died during all wars on November 11th, you can also find non-fiction books on other conflicts such as the Korean War, the Vietnam war and the conflict in Afghanistan at the library. 

Although this months focus is non-fiction, we have some great fiction books relating to both World Wars in the library too! While reading non-fiction is a great way to learn more about these subjects, reading fictional accounts can be a useful way to put yourself in the shoes of people who lived in very different circumstances to us.

Highlights from the Remembrance Day fiction display include: 

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne 

Remembrance by Theresa Breslin 

Carrie's War by Nina Badwen 

Salt to the Sea  by Ruta Sepetys 

Medal for Leroy by Michael Morpurgo 

The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein 

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo 

Charley's War [GN] by Patt Mills and Joe Colquhoun 

Please do ask the library team if you are looking for something in particular and keep an eye out for our Non-Fiction November display!