D-Day in Sound and Poetry

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 03 June 2019 > Celebrate

As part of the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the town of Bayeux is hosting an immersive audio performance in English about British war poet and D-Day veteran Keith Douglas. Douglas was a WWII tank commander, who fought in North Africa and participated in the Normandy landings. He was killed three … Continue reading “D-Day in Sound and Poetry”

ANZAC Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 24 April 2019 > Celebrate Shine Bright Lycée

While most countries involved in World War I commemorate those who served in that and later wars on 11 November, the date the War ended, in Australia and New Zealand, the main commemoration is ANZAC Day, 25 April, the day in 1915 when their servicemen first saw action, in the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign. When Britain … Continue reading “ANZAC Day”

Don McCullin: War Photographer

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 26 March 2019 > Ready to Use

Don McCullin’s black-and-white photographs bear witness of the major conflicts the world has been experiencing for the last 60 years. From Cyprus to Syria, from Vietnam to Biafra, from the construction of the Berlin Wall to the conflict in Ulster, his (still ongoing) career as a photojournalist has enabled him to witness and record the … Continue reading “Don McCullin: War Photographer”

They Shall Not Grow Old Film: Bringing WWI to Life

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 31 October 2018 > Ready to Use

To mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, Peter Jackson has restored old black-and-white archive footage of British servicemen’s life in the trenches. He has colourised it, and has asked lip-readers to help dub in what the soldiers were actually saying. The film’s title refers to a poem by Robert  Binyon … Continue reading “They Shall Not Grow Old Film: Bringing WWI to Life”

War Dance

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 20 June 2018 > What's On

Montpellier will see the French première of an extraordinary new dance and theatre piece about the experience of Indian soldiers in World War I on 26 and 27 June. XENOS is the latest creation by British-Bangladeshi dancer and choreographer Akram Khan. The title is ancient Greek for “stranger” or “foreigner” and the piece draws both … Continue reading “War Dance”

Winston Churchill’s Darkest Hour

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 12 January 2018 > Ready to Use

Darkest Hour, a new award-winning film about Winston Churchill’s role as Britain’s WW2 Prime Minister, gives an excellent opportunity to work on this historical figure and historical period with pupils at B1 level. The resource and the film focus on some of Churchill’s most famous speeches and their morale-boosting effect. The theme  can be related … Continue reading “Winston Churchill’s Darkest Hour”

The Miracle of Dunkirk

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 04 July 2017 > What's On

Dunkirk tells the story of one of the most extraordinary events of the Second World War: the evacuation of 338,000 men from the beaches of Dunkirk in northern France, against incredible odds. In May 1940, the Nazi Army was on the offensive. Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium rapidly fell, then they set their sights … Continue reading “The Miracle of Dunkirk”