## Caribbean Through A Lens Archive Learning Resource Contents Caribbean Through A Lens Archive Learning Resource Contents

2
Teacher's notes                                                                                   

Worksheet themes:

| 3 / 4                                     | Identity and belonging   |
|-------------------------------------------|--------------------------|
| 5 / 6                                     | Wealth and poverty       |
| 7 / 8                                     | Agriculture and trade    |
| 9 / 10  War and conflict in the Caribbean |                          |

## Caribbean Through A Lens Archive Learning Resource Teacher'S Notes

Photographs are amazing documents that can cross cultural boundaries and communicate a clear message without a word being spoken. How we read photographs also plays a vital role in the way we see and make judgements about what is happening and what messages are conveyed. How we interpret a photograph is linked to our personal connections with place and the assumptions we make between the photographer and sitter/subject.

This learning resource attempts to examine representations of race, culture and identity using photographic images from the National Archives Collection.

"Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak."
John Berger The worksheets are themed in four sections and have activities on the reverse. Each worksheet will have contextual information as a starting point to investigate and research other photographs and historical documents. Activities explore ideas through techniques of observation, research, response and review. 

## Teacher'S Notes Outline Of Activities On The Back Of Each Worksheet

1. Exploring and developing ideas Pupils record from first hand observations and explore ideas. 2. Investigating and researching photography styles Pupils learn about the different ways in which ideas, feelings and meanings are communicated in visual form. 3. Evaluating and developing work Compare ideas, methods and approaches in others' work and say what they think and feel about their research and fact finding. 4. Knowledge and understanding Analyse and evaluate each other's work, express opinions and make reasoned judgements. The photographs have been selected to provide activities to encourage, analytical thinking and observational skills by exploring similarities and differences. This learning resource will offer practical ideas to support children as readers, researchers and writers, developing their skills as historical enquirers and building links between history and cultural identity. A QR code has been included to access the Flickr site on mobile phones.

You can view all the images on-line by searching 'Caribbean through a Lens' on Flickr or by visiting the National Archives website. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/Caribbean/

## Other Useful Links For Further Study

http:/
/www.whyarewestindians.co.uk/node/115
http:/
/nationalarchives.gov.uk/caribbeanhistory/
twentieth-century-transitions.htm http:/
/www.jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/history/
story0060.htm http:/
/www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/caribbeanhistory/
glossary.htm http:/
/www.movinghere.org.uk/galleries/histories/
caribbean/caribbean.htm 

## References And Further Reading

Buckley, R. N., Slaves in Red Coats: The British West India Regiments 1795-1815, New Haven and London, 1979 Dyde, B., The Empty Sleeve: The story of the West India Regiments of the British Army, Antigua, 1997

Ellis, J., 'Drummers for the Devil? The Black Soldiers of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot 1759-1843', in *Journal of Army Historical Research*, vol. 80, no. 323, pp. 186-202, Autumn 2002 Ellis, J., 'Distinguished in Action... The Black Soldiers of the 4th Dragoons 1715-1842', Journal of the Queen's Royal Hussars Historical Society, March 2003
Kaplan, S. and Kaplan, E. N., The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution (revised edition), Amherst, 1989

## Identity And Belonging

The National Archives: ref. INF 10/147(6A)
Description: Jamaica. 'Group of children in Roman Catholic Minor School, Seaford. Children are descendants of German immigrants'.

Official Jamaican photograph compiled by Central Office of Information. Publicity statement on reverse. Copyright of Professor TS Simey, Department of Social Sciences, University of Liverpool. 

Location: Jamaica Materials you will need: 
pen or pencil and paper, computer and access to the internet   

## Identity And Belonging Contextual Information

Identity can be defined as a sense of self. All of us have some conception of who, or what we are and the formation of our identity is a major area of our personal development. Establishing links about personal identity and racial identity can be effected by a number of things including self-esteem and confidence. When people move from one place to another it is important to retain a sense of self and belonging. When migrant communities move sometimes identities are lost and communities find it difficult to adapt to their new environments.

Seaford Town is named after Lord Seaford, and is found in the Westmoreland Hills just 25 miles from Montego Bay, Jamaica. The first immigrants to settle in Seaford Town arrived in the middle of December
1835. There were 250 men, women and children who first landed in Rio Bueno, before going on to Reading and then walking inland to Seaford. The original plan was that on arrival they would occupy cottages built for them and be paid small weekly allowances until they could cultivate and grow their own crops successfully. 

- What can you see in the photograph?
- Why do you think this photograph was taken?
- Compare and make notes of the similarities and
differences you can see in the photographs in the
Identity and belonging theme.
- Why do you think there are German children in the
photograph?
- Look at the composition of both photographs.
(Composition is how images or pictures are
arranged).
- Tell us why you think the photographer has chosen
to take the photographs in this way.
- Seaford wasn't the only place where Germans
settled in Jamaica, find out about other places where German Migrants settled. 
- How did they earn money and make a living? - Why did many Germans families find it difficult to
settle in the Caribbean?
Write a diary insert about a day in the life of one of the children featured in this section. Remember to include lots of detail about your day, write about how you would travel to school, what you would eat at lunchtime and what games might you play during your break. Imagine yourself as one of the school children in the picture; give yourself a name and plenty of character.

Pupils should have a chance to listen and compare view points at the end of each worksheet. Students can work individually or in smaller groups with an appointed leader/spokesperson. Discuss methods and approaches, share ideas and make connections with other evidence and resources. This ideally should take place at the end of each session where pupils have the opportunity to say what they think about the activity and discuss with the group what they have learnt.

## Identity And Belonging

The National Archives: ref. 10/147 (9)
Description: Jamaica. 'Elementary School, Love Lane, Kingston'.

Photograph No ZZZ 22450H. Official Jamaican photograph compiled by Central Office of Information. Copyright hand stamp by EO Hoppe on reverse. 

Location: Jamaica Date: 1948 April Materials you will need: 
pen or pencil and paper, computer and access to the internet   

## Identity And Belonging Contextual Information

Education in the Caribbean is highly regarded and students are expected to behave and perform immaculately regardless of their status or family background. Many parents in the Caribbean pride themselves on the value of education and recognise its potential to escape poverty and improve life prospects. Children are encouraged to work hard at school, and sometimes there were harsh punishments if you were disobedient. The teachers were strict and many of the children used slate and chalk in the 1950's, some had books, paper and pens.

Caribbean people saw the importance of education as part of social and financial mobility improving their life chances. For those talented students there were growing opportunities in teaching and gaining qualifications to study at British universities.

- What can you see in the photograph?
- Why do you think this photograph was taken? - Compare and make notes of similarities and differences of the photographs in the Identity and
belonging theme.
- What expressions are conveyed on the boys faces?
- When you look at this picture, what does it make
you think about?
- Why do you think the children in this photograph
are working outside?
- The Caribbean is known for its hot sunny weather
and tourism. The tropical climate in the Caribbean
region varies from season to season.
- Find out what months are classified as the dry
season. - Find out what months are known as the wet season. - Tropical storms and hurricanes have destroyed
buildings and crops in the past, find images of
Hurricane Janet in 1955 in Barbados and Blow holes
in the Cayman Islands in 1957.
Write a diary insert about a day in the life of one of the children featured in this section. Remember to include lots of detail about your day; write about how you would travel to school, what you would eat at lunchtime and what games you might play during your break. Imagine yourself as one of the school children in the picture; give yourself a name and describe your character.

Pupils should have a chance to listen and compare view points at the end of each worksheet. Students can work individually or in smaller groups with an appointed leader/spokesperson. Discuss methods and approaches, share ideas and make connections with other evidence and resources. This ideally should take place at the end of each session where pupils have the opportunity to say what they think about the activity and discuss with the group what they have learnt.

The National Archives: ref. CO 1069/401 (4)
Description: A House in Jumbie Village on the banks of the Caroni River Location: Frederick Village, Trinidad and Tobago Date: 1949    
Wealth and poverty Materials you will need: 
pen or pencil and paper, computer and access to the internet   

## Wealth And Poverty Context Information

Early settlers built houses from natural materials using the techniques of the Africans and Amerindians. (Amerindians are descendants of the original inhabitants of Guyana.)
These houses were handcrafted with walls made from braided twigs called wattles. These homes were simple in construction, but were very strong and could withstand strong winds and hurricanes. Many houses were bungalows made from wooden boards with tin or palm thatch roofs. They had verandas for sitting outside. Many houses often had big gardens for growing food and keeping animals. Some had dirt floors; others had wooden floors made from locally sourced materials. Foreign influences began to shape architectural design and details. As migration grew new materials found their way to the Caribbean, increasing trade and the economy. 

Homes ranged from large colonial plantation houses built from the wealth made from the slave trade, to the brightly coloured shanty dwellings called
"Carbets" or "Ajoupas".

- Look at the picture carefully, and list the building material you think the house is made from. 
- Compare and contrast a photograph of your home
and where you live, with the photograph here.
- Who might live in this house and what might they
do to earn a living?
- Why do you think this house is on stilts?
- If you could ask the man that is sitting on the floor
in the doorway a question what would it be? 
- What were the names of the first dwellings in the Caribbean? 
- Find two examples of shanty dwellings on the
Caribbean Through a Lens Flickr website.
Produce a word bank to describe each house in this section. A word bank is a collection words/phrases inspired by a painting or photograph.

Using the words you have generated, write a poem about what it would be like to live in this dwelling, and how you would make a living from the sea. 

Pupils should have a chance to listen and compare view points at the end of each worksheet. Students can work individually or in smaller groups with an appointed leader/spokesperson. Discuss methods and approaches, share ideas and make connections with other evidence and resources. This ideally should take place at the end of each session where pupils have the opportunity to say what they think about the activity and discuss with the group what they have learnt.

## Wealth And Poverty

The National Archives: ref. CO 1069/233
Description: Government House, Antigua. Principal and West Drawing Rooms. Leeward Islands. Nov. 1934.

Location: Antigua Date: November 1934
Materials you will need: 
pen or pencil and paper, computer and access to the internet   

## Wealth And Poverty Contextual Information

Many experiences of hardship were common across many islands in the Caribbean. Historians often state that poor housing, unemployment and lack of educational attainment are a legacy of the slave trade. Many people from around the world benefited greatly from the wealth that was made from the slave trade and plantation wealth.

Houses in the Caribbean varied in size and shape and were often influenced by designs and materials found locally. House designs were also influenced by people that came from other countries. This is a picture of a government house in Antigua; most houses of this size in the Caribbean were plantation houses. A plantation house was large and built on the highest ground with large gardens. 

Building houses on high ground would ensure cool winds would pass through the property keeping living areas comfortable. By the 18th century, the addition of external galleries and verandas were introduced providing cool living environments.

The architectural styles that developed over the next three centuries, reflects the synthesis of different people, from plantation owners of Europe to the slaves they brought from Africa. 

The introduction of wrought-iron work, ceramic tiles, balconies and verandas were just a few of design features that were a result of the British Empire and the slave trade. The legacy of the British Empire and the movement of people, skills and ideas increased economy as new communities settled.

- What can you see in the photograph?
- What design features can you see that would not
normally be featured in a typical Caribbean home?
- Find/draw a picture of your ideal home and include
design features that have been influenced by
colonialism?
- Compare and make notes of similarities and
differences found in the *wealth and poverty* theme.
- What is the function of a drawing room? 
- What room do you think would be used as a drawing room in a smaller house?
- Find two examples of former plantation houses on
the Caribbean Through a Lens Flickr website, and
write down their location and what it would be used
for today?
- Would you stay or buy a former plantation house in
the Caribbean, explain your reasons and why?
- Choose one of the names below, find out how
these men became wealthy. Write a sentence about
the information you have found.
Robert Milligan Sir John Hawkins William Beckford Sir Edward Colston

Write a poem about your life as a plantation slave, describe your home, what jobs you would do and what you would eat. Write about how you would be treated and how you would feel to be a slave.

Write a poem about your life as a plantation owner, research and find out what roles you would undertake on a day to day basis. Describe your role and how you would ensure the smooth running your plantation.

Pupils should have a chance to listen and compare view points at the end of each worksheet. Students can work individually or in smaller groups with an appointed leader/spokesperson. Discuss methods and approaches, share ideas and make connections with other evidence and resources. This ideally should take place at the end of each session where pupils have the opportunity to say what they think about the activity and discuss with the group what they have learnt.

## Agriculture And Trade

The National Archives: ref. CO 1069/353 (23)
Description: An expert of the Ashenden Cocoa station, Grenada, examining pods on a cocoa tree.

Location: Grenada Date: July 1955
Materials you will need: 
pen or pencil and paper

## Agriculture And Trade Contextual Information Cocoa, Sugar, Bananas And Coffee

Although the Caribbean may be seen as a paradise by people who go there on holiday, life was not always easy for its inhabitants. Many of those who did not work in the tourist industry made a living growing sugar-cane and other crops such as bananas, coffee and tobacco. 

In 1753, it was recorded that there were only 150-300
cocoa trees in Grenada, however after the British took control of the island in 1763, there were 72
estates growing cocoa as well as coffee. Grenada became the hub of British cocoa production.

Following slave emancipation and the shortage of labour, cocoa production began to decline. 

However, former slaves gradually started to grow cocoa for themselves on small holdings that they had purchased. There was a tenfold increase of cocoa production between 1856- 1886, which was linked to an increase in land ownership amongst former slaves. 

- What can you see in the photograph?
- Why do you think this picture has been taken?
- Make a list of products made from Cocoa and write
about how they are used.
- What is the man in the photograph doing and what
assumptions can we make by reading the caption
and looking at the photograph? 
- Compare and make notes of similarities and
differences found in *Agriculture and trade* theme.
- Explore your local shops/supermarket and find out
what countries the sugar, cocoa and banana have
come from.
- Coco is just one of the products traditionally associated with the Caribbean; write a list of other
crops that are exported from the West Indies. - What does the term "Emancipation" mean?
What Caribbean products can you buy from your local shops/supermarket?

Research a Caribbean dish using one of the food items above.

Have you tried this before? What foods do you already eat that are similar to these ingredients?

Pupils should have a chance to listen and compare view points at the end of each worksheet. Students can work individually or in smaller groups with an appointed leader/spokesperson. Discuss methods and approaches, share ideas and make connections with other evidence and resources. This ideally should take place at the end of each session where pupils have the opportunity to say what they think about the activity and discuss with the group what they have learnt.

The National Archives: ref. CO 1069/372(1)
Description: Jamaican agriculture Location: Jamaica Date: 1940
Agriculture and trade Materials you will need: 
pen or pencil and paper, computer and access to the internet   

## Agriculture And Trade Contextual Information

Since 1975, each Caribbean country had a quota of bananas, enabling them to sell as many as they wanted to Europe. This, the EU hoped, would enable the economies of such developing countries to grow independently, without depending on overseas aid. 

The effect of this deal has been to protect Caribbean banana farmers from Latin America competition. Their bananas are cheaper because they are grown on large-scale, mechanised plantations run by giant US-based corporations. 

The "banana wars" was the culmination of a six-year trade quarrel between the US (United States) and EU
(European Union). The US complained that the EU
scheme was giving banana producers from former colonies in the Caribbean special access to European markets. But the problem this dispute poses for the developing world could be more serious. 71 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states are subject to the Lome Convention, an agreement created in the 1970s which commits the European Union to support and promote trade with its former colonies. The WTO (World Trade Organisations) is the only international body which deals with the rules of trade between countries, promoting free trade. Based in Geneva, it superseded the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs, GATT, in 1994. It has the power to legislate on disputes and co-ordinate new rounds of negotiations aimed at dismantling barriers to trade throughout the world.

- What can you see in the photograph?
- Why do you think this photograph was taken? 
- Compare and make notes of similarities and
differences found in *Agriculture and trade* theme. 
- Look at the two pictures and decide which
photograph is posed/staged and which one appears
to be a more natural representation of local farmers. 
- Write about each photograph, and describe what
you think is happening in each photograph in the Agriculture and trade theme.
- Find out about the banana wars; what countries
were involved and how long did this last? - What is the World Trade Organisation? 
- Write a paragraph about this organisation?
- Find out about the Lome Convention, list some of
the ethical reasons why it was introduced? 
Imagine you are a farmer; write a persuasive letter to the World Trade Organisation about why you think free trade should continue in the Caribbean. Write in detail about the problems you have encountered and how free trade would improve your life. 

## Evaluate And Develop Work

Pupils should have a chance to listen and compare view points at the end of each worksheet. Students can work individually or in smaller groups with an appointed leader/spokesperson. Discuss methods and approaches, share ideas and make connections with other evidence and resources. This ideally should take place at the end of each session where pupils have the opportunity to say what they think about the activity and discuss with the group what they have learnt.

## War And Conflict In The Caribbean

The National Archives: ref. INF 10/145 (4)
Description: Jamaica. Jamaica Regiment. Drum Major BL Reid of the Jamaica Regiment at Newcastle Hill Station. Photograph No D 78839 issued by Central Office of Information, London.

Location: Jamaica Date: 1955 March Materials you will need: Pen or coloured pencils/ felt tip pens and paper, computer and access to the internet

## War And Conflict In The Caribbean Contextual Information

Men and women from all parts of the Empire and many smaller Commonwealth nations played a significant role in helping to defeat Germany, Italy and Japan. Some 372,500 African troops fought in East Africa and Burma.

The Indian Army (including Pakistan and Bangladesh) provided the world's largest volunteer army with 2.5 million men. The Commonwealth Navies provided essential operational support worldwide, as did 5,800 West Indians who served in the RAF. In 1795 the West Indian Regiment was formed. They fought in numerous campaigns in the West Indies and later in Africa where in 1866 and 1892 two members of the Regiment won the Victoria Cross.

The first black man to win the Victoria Cross was Able Seaman William Hall. He served with the Royal Navy and received his decoration in India at the siege of Lucknow in 1857. 

Sergeant William Gordon won the Victoria Cross after throwing himself into the line of fire to save his commanding officer.

During the period between the First and Second World Wars the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air force had enforced a colour bar, limiting entry to the services to British subjects from the colonies. At the outbreak of war in September 1939 the colonial office declared that British subjects from the colonies were eligible to join emergency commissions in Her Majesty's Forces. This change in policy made it possible for ethnic minorities to join the Armed Forces for the duration of the conflict.   

- Look at the photograph and describe what you see.   
- What does the expression on his face convey?
- Look at the uniform. What can you find out about
Major BL Reid's role by looking at the photograph
and reading the caption?
- What is the function of the  Battle Standard? 
- Can you find samples of insignias used on the
uniform of the British West Indian Regiment?
- What is the Victoria Cross? Write about why it is
awarded and why it is so special.
- What does the word "gallantry" mean? 
- What do you think the term colour bar means? 
- Write about the term colour bar and what this
would mean for thousands of African Caribbean men
and women who wanted to join the war effort.
- The first black man to win the Victoria Cross was
Able Seaman William Hall. Find a picture of this man
and write a paragraph about his life and his
contribution. 
- Who was Sergeant William Gordon?  
- Research his life and the contributions he made to
the war efforts.
Design a poster to attract and recruit men and women from the colonies to join in the war efforts.

Research and find other posters that were used at this time. Think about what would influence you to volunteer and join the war campaign.

## Evaluate And Develop Work

Pupils should have a chance to listen and compare view points at the end of each worksheet. Students can work individually or in smaller groups with an appointed leader/spokesperson. Discuss methods and approaches, share ideas and make connections with other evidence and resources. This ideally should take place at the end of each session where pupils have the opportunity to say what they think about the activity and discuss with the group what they have learnt.

## War And Conflict In The Caribbean

The National Archives: ref. INF 10/145 (5)
Description: Jamaica. Jamaica Regiment. A parade of recruits to the Jamaica Regiment at Newcastle Hill Station. Photograph No D 78835 issued by Central Office of Information, London. 

Location: Jamaica Date: 1955 March Ministry of Information hand stamps.

Materials you will need: Pen or coloured pencils/ felt tip pens and paper, computer and access to the internet

## War And Conflict In The Caribbean Contextual Information

The 1st West India Regiment was formed in 1795 in the Windward Islands of the Eastern Caribbean. One of two units drafted into this regiment was the Black Carolina Corps - a remnant of British loyalist units following the American War of Independence. By 1799 there were twelve single-battalion West India Regiments - some fought in the fierce Caribbean campaigns of the Napoleonic wars and others in the Ashanti wars in West Africa. By 1888 only one regiment remained. The British West Indies Regiment (BWIR) was known as a "coloured" regiment and as such was often the victim of racial discrimination. Eugent Clarke, was a Clarendonian BWIR veteran. In 1999 at the age of 105, he received France's Legion d'Honour for meritorious service in WWI. He remembered how his ship docked at Halifax in Nova Scotia due to the presence of German ships in certain waters. Many of his colleagues had their first contact with snow and frostbite. They remained clothed in tropical lightweight khaki uniforms, and were denied issue of the heavier weight uniforms of British soldiers (which were on board) until half of the battalion had already died. Clarke was one of 200 survivors, he was sent with others to Bermuda to convalesce before heading over to Europe. Once there, conditions did not improve. The men of the BWIR were generally restricted hard labour; digging trenches and carrying supplies to men at the fronts. All suffered from severe weather conditions, frostbite, measles and mumps. The distinctive Zouave uniform worn by the West India Regiments was first issued in 1858. Queen Victoria was impressed by the uniform of the Zoaves (a light infantry of North African origin). An adaptation of this became the full dress uniform of the West India Regiment until the last regiment was disbanded in 1926 for economic reasons. The Jamaica Military Band (which descends from the Jamaica Militia of 1662 and the band of the old battalions of the West India Regiment) still wears it today. 

- Look at the photograph and describe what you see. - Can you think of a suitable caption for the
photographs in this section?
- What year was the Zouave uniform issued to the
West Indian Regiment and why was this introduced?
- Can you find images of the full dress uniform of the
West Indian Regiment? 
- Can you find other images of the Jamaica Military
Band?
- When was the first West Indian Regiment formed
and why?
- The West Indian Regiment fought in many battles,
find out about their involvement in the Napoleonic wars and the Ashanti wars in West Africa
- Read the accounts of Eugent Clarke. Why do you
think the West Indian Regiment were treated differently and experienced racial discrimination.
- Following the link below, read the telegraph that was
written by the he Secretary of State for the Colonies to the Governor of Barbados on the 20th October 1917. Write a paragraph about attitudes towards race and recruitment of soldiers in the Caribbean at this time.
The first West India Regiment was formed in 1795 in the Windward Islands in the Caribbean. Can you find other photographs on the Caribbean Through a Lens Flickr website? Research and compile a list of outstanding men and women from the Caribbean that contributed in the war efforts.

Pupils should have a chance to listen and compare view points at the end of each worksheet. Students can work individually or in smaller groups with an appointed leader/spokesperson. Discuss methods and approaches, share ideas and make connections with other evidence and resources. This ideally should take place at the end of each session where pupils have the opportunity to say what they think about the activity and discuss with the group what they have learnt.