Colman's Connections was Norwich HEART's exciting community research project, received £37,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), and helped the city's residents to become Colman's Detectives. The Colman's Connections project focused on the history of Norwich's mustard workers during the First World War, revealing engaging real-life stories about the firm's employees and how their lives were changed by the conflict.
The exhibition was on 2-13 November 2015 and the Colman's Connections: The War Years, 1914-1918 book is available now.
You can also view the Tiki-Toki timeline of Colman's during the First World War here.
Exhibition & events
Colman's Connections: The war years, 1914-1918
Monday 2nd – Friday 13th November (Monday – Saturday, 9am-5pm)
The Forum Norwich
Download the exhibition and events leaflet
An exhibition curated by the Colman's Detectives, a community research group, uncovering stories and real-life experiences of how the Carrow Works factory and its worker's lives were affected by the First World War.
Discover the mustard workers' roles on the front line, the impact of the war on women, families and workers on the home front, and the part Colman's played in the war effort, all unearthed by the Colman's Detectives, and Heritage Heroes from Lakenham School, during the Colman's Connections project.
See authentic medals and original items owned by soldiers and families on display, view a Roll of Honour commemorating mustard workers lost during the conflict, and discover 'Household Hints' collated from wartime copies of Carrow Works Magazine.
The Colman's Detectives have also produced the Colman's Connections booklet, on sale at Colman's Mustard Shop & Museum from 2nd November, and in all good retailers from 5th November. There will be a series of talks, workshops and family activities to accompany the exhibition.
Talks & Workshops:
All talks and workshops take place in the Vernon Castle Room, Norfolk Heritage Centre, 2nd floor, Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library.
Monday 2 November, 2–3pm
Norwich in the First World War
Talk by Neil Story
FREE but booking essential via www.norwich-heart.eventbrite.co.uk
Norwich in the First World War is an exploration of the role and significance of the city, and its people during the years 1914-1918, with a special consideration to the profound impact of war and warfare on people on the home front.
Neil Storey is one of the foremost authorities on the military history of the county during the First and Second World Wars and is the author of Norfolk in the Great War and Norfolk Goes to War.
Thursday 5 November, 1.30 – 3.30pm
Discover your First World War ancestors
Workshop by Elizabeth Budd
Unfortunately this workshop has been CANCELLED due to illness.
Thursday 5 November, 6 – 7pm
Women before, during and after WWI
Talk by Joy Evitt (Costume & Textile Association)
FREE but booking essential via www.norwich-heart.eventbrite.co.uk
In the First World War women took on a wide variety of roles but the outcome of their wartime activities were very similar. They became more independent and developed a new attitude to the way they lived their lives and the clothes they wore. The days of excessive ornamentation, tight corsets and large amounts of fabric were over. The new woman could be seen in public on her own; she participated in sport, drove cars, travelled and worked in a wide variety of jobs.
This talk looks at how the clothes chosen were simpler and were easier to buy or make. The office girl could look as good as the debutante which meant that fashion had finally become more democratic!
Monday 9 November, 1.30 – 4.30pm and Thursday 12th November, 12.30 – 3.30pm
First World War Poetry
Workshop by poet Andy Bennett
£20 - booking essential via www.norwich-heart.eventbrite.co.uk
From the early idealism of Rupert Brooke, through the trench-bound horror of Wilfred Owen, to the millions of wives, daughters, and mothers waiting anxiously at home for news, the upheaval of the First World War saw an outpouring of poetry rarely seen in the history of English letters.
Discover this fascinating and moving period of poetic history, and learn poetic skills and techniques to write your very own war sonnet – skills that are as relevant and valuable today as they were a century ago. Please note that the workshop consists of two afternoon sessions and you should be able to attend both.
Thursday 12 November, 6 – 7pm
Conscientious Objection in Norfolk
Talk by Orla Kennelly (Norfolk Record Office)
FREE but booking essential via www.norwich-heart.eventbrite.co.uk
A glimpse of conscientious objection in Norfolk during the First World War. We will look at the records of HM Prison Norwich and discuss public attitude to imprisonment for Conscientious Objectors. Discover the letters of Walter Mancroft, Norwich man, who served time in Norwich, Wormwood Scrubs, Dartmoor and Wakefield Prisons during the war for his pacifism.
Family Activities
Saturday 7 November, 10am – 4pm
Make a Remembrance Poppy
The Atrium
FREE drop-in event
During the First World War, war raged through Europe's heart. Once the conflict was over the poppy was one of the only plants to grow on the otherwise desolate battlefields. To remember all those who were lost, create a remembrance poppy to display somewhere special this year on Remembrance Day. Family activity for all aged 5+.
Sunday 8 November, 12pm and 2.30pm
Fire from the Skies, Guns from the Earth
Family storytelling by Liam Carroll
Express library / Children's Library
FREE drop-in event
An entertaining, informative and provocative story. We follow the fictional adventures of flying ace Biggles, a comic book hero who frequently volunteers for death defying missions, and the real-life anti-war poet Wilfred Owen, who has to slog his way through the mud on the frontline. Ideal for ages 7+.
About the project
Colman's Connections is Norwich HEART's exciting community research project, which has received £37,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), and is helping the city's residents to become Colman's Detectives. The Colman's Connections project focuses on the history of Norwich's mustard workers during the First World War, revealing engaging real-life stories about the firm's employees and how their lives were changed by the conflict.
The intergenerational community research project sees volunteers becoming Colman's Detectives, researching the First World War history of workers at the Colman's factory, their roles on the front line, the impact of the war on women, families and workers on the Home Front, and the part Colman's played in the war effort.
Five Carrow Recruits © Reproduced courtesy of Unilever. Colman's is a Unilever Trademark
Student sleuths from Lakenham Primary School have also investigated their local Colman's connections, looking for ancestors that may have worked in the nearby Carrow factory during the war. The Detectives are helping to research and curate a 'pop-up' exhibition which will be shown at The Forum Norwich in November 2015, create an interactive digital timeline and produce a booklet about the stories they unearth.
Colman's has an extraordinary story, and has played a significant role in the history of Norwich and its citizens. The company still employs many people and holds a special place in the culture and identity of the city. The Colman's Connections project is a year-long project and is also supported by Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Library and Information Service, The Forum and Unilever Archives.
This Norwich HEART project is kindly supported by:
