Axbridge 2014: Commemorating WWI through Historical Pageantry
Back at the beginning of this project I wrote a short blogpost about the ways Britons used historical pageants to make sense of the overwhelming shock of the First World War . Pageants, as a form of community theatre, enabled people to come together and express a variety of different emotions, such as remembrance, grief, or patriotism. More recently, as our research has expanded, Mark has presented a paper on this topic.
I noticed today that the small town of Axbridge, in Somerset, has staged a new historical pageant to remember the conflict. On Saturday the 26th a small crowd of 200 gathered in the town square, despite poor weather, to watch a group (made up of 200 Axbridge residents and members of the local AmDram group) perform their own respectful tribute to those who gave their lives. As the pictures for the pageant show, the lives of normal people in the period were depicted - from soldiers in uniform to the loved ones they left behind. The production manager, John Kendall, told the Cheddar Valley Gazette : "...we wanted the event to mark the beginning of the war so it was meant to be serious but certain bits, where they were wanted, we got laughter, and obvious approval." He went on to say that "There are so many people who helped in large and small ways. You can't begin to thank them all." As with some of the pageants from 1919-1939, the Axbridge pageant allowed ways to commemorate and remember, yet also provide a space for the letting out of difficult emotions. In this way, the pageant format has remained consistent throughout the twentieth century and up to today.
Axbridge has previous form in staging complex yet successful pageants. In comparison to the general ebb of the pageantry movement, it staged its first pageant in 1967, to celebrate the opening of a new bypass. Since that date it has re-enacted the pageant to increasingly larger crowds in 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010. From the beginning the narrative of the plays have been an exercise in community spirit, local civic pride, and remembrance (especially following the tragic Basle Air Crash, which claimed the lives of many local Axbridge women). As the latest performance shows, historical pageants continue to be one way in which we can engage with the past in a poignant and respectful way. As we continue our project, he hope to uncover more examples of such engagement, as we still try to make sense of the First World War today.
Tom Hulme
For images of the pageant, see: http://www.cheddarvalleygazette.co.uk/pictures/Axbridge-World-War-pageant/pictures-21754457-detail/pictures.html
For the news report, from which the above quotes are taken, see: http://www.cheddarvalleygazette.co.uk/Hundreds-turn-remembrance-event/story-21750086-detail/story.html