Treasures

THIS Sunday, November 11, marks the centenary of the Armistice that brought an end to the fighting between Germany and the Allied Powers, including Great Britain.

The formal end to the war only took place the following June with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, but for most people, November 11, 1918 was the end of over four years of conflict and was celebrated as such.

The exhibitions ‘For the Fallen’ and ‘Commemorating Conflict’ at the Potteries Museums and Art Gallery, which close on November 18, look at the effect of the Great War on local people and on the potteries.

This small model of a kitchen range is on display in ‘Commemorating Conflict’ and was made to commemorate the Armistice itself.

On the back is the inscription: “The Victory of Justice: Armistice of the Great War signed November 11th 1918”.

It is decorated with the coat of arms of Stoke-on-trent and the words “Keep the Home Fires Burning”.

This phrase is a quote from the popular song by Ivor Novello, first published in 1914 as ‘Till the Boys Come Home’ and re-issued the following year with the name by which it is best known.

Like the song ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’, ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’ became incredibly popular during the war and was widely sung – and recorded – between 1914 and 1918.

Many more commemorative pieces were made to mark the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, but this little piece sums up the hopes for peace after four years of conflict.