Blogging from the Trenches

Few would dispute that the internet has changed the way we learn. In the early days, websites were fairly static and unchanging, and so all the internet really did was increase the ease with which we could access information. Websites were, in effect, little more than the equivalent of books or articles available on a computer screen. But we are now in the age of web 2.0, a collaborative era in which we communicate and share information more instantaneously, using newer technologies like wikis, blogs, and social networking sites. Because the web has become such a fluid thing, we can learn and correspond in an ever more immediate and interactive way.

This can have interesting consequences for the study of history. On example of this is the grandchild of a First World War soldier who had the idea to use a very simple format – a blog like this one – to stimulate interest and engagement in history. Bill Lamin, a native of Cornwall, England, used his grandfather’s wartime correspondence to create entries in a blog created under his grandfather’s name. What, for me, is the best part of this experiment is that he does it in real time, posting correspondence exactly ninety years after they were written. This creates an amazingly immersive experience. The blog reader finds themselves in the position of the family at home, waiting, day by day, to see how the story turns out. (And, just to be clear, he already had a son before he left for war, so we really don’t know how the story will end). The blog begins with posts explaining the project and introducing readers to Harry and his family. Starting in mid-1917, there are an impressive collection of letters from Harry, and there is a new post on every day for which his grandson has a surviving letter, and there are also scanned images of postcards, envelopes, certificates, and any other documents relating to the family history of the time that have been found.

This strikes me as a beautiful way for Lamin to share his family history with others, but it is also a very effective way to create interest in this very important period of history. Personal stories always make history more relevant, but what is so unique about this project is the real-time element. Lamin may be “just” a school teacher, and not an historian, but he has succeeded in creating an amazing experience that is immediate, personal, and very interactive. He has also received international attention for his efforts. Lamin has plans to publish the letters into a book, but I would encourage anyone who is interested to check out the blog as soon as possible, while you can still experience this project as it was originally conceived.