“Gun crew, have a care… Give fire!”
With these words a pupil brings to a climax one of the most popular activities provided by the Learning Department at the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth.
As visitors emerge from the lift into the Men of the Upper Decks gallery of the Museum, they are frequently confronted by a group of enthusiastic children clustered around a full-size replica of a Tudor gun known as a port piece. They quickly become fascinated by what the children are doing, as they go through the key stages of loading and firing the massive gun. A generous round of applause often follows the completion of the task as the sound effect of the explosion dies away.
Why do we offer this activity and what are the educational benefits? After all, the children are very unlikely to use Tudor gunnery skills in their later life!
Firstly, and importantly, it is fun to try something so unusual and different from their everyday experience. Also, it is an activity unlikely to be found elsewhere due to the unique nature and atmosphere of the Mary Rose Museum. As the children peer down the length of the gun, they gaze through a huge plate glass window at the eerie remains of Henry VIII’s flagship. Not bad for starters!
In terms of language, the children are introduced to a range of specialized and unfamiliar vocabulary. Repetition of words such as ‘linstock’, ‘slow match’ and ‘oakum’ by the presenter helps to cement the meaning in the memory and understanding of the pupils. When encouraged to use their imagination in follow-up work, children have produced some outstanding creative writing, particularly in the form of poetry.
