Incredible Journeys

The Story Museum is dedicated to inspiring learning through stories, as well as looking after stories in danger of being forgotten or lost. We embrace this opportunity to ask some of our finest storytellers to give voice to the countries, creatures and cultures whose roles in the far-flung “theatres” of the First World War fall beyond the spotlight.

Tish Francis, Co-Director, The Story Museum

The Story Museum in Oxford and 14-18 NOW commissioned six new stories for schoolchildren and family audiences about the global impact of the First World War. Inspired equally by humble tales of everyday life and near-legendary accounts of battlefield heroism, some of the country’s leading storytellers used animal characters both real and imagined to create their brand new narratives, offering children an imaginative introduction to the First World War.

International in scope and outlook, Incredible Journeys travelled from Macedonia to Mesopotamia, featuring animals as diverse as the Canadian bear that inspired the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh and the camel corps that fought alongside TE Lawrence in the Arab Revolt. The stories premiered at The Story Museum in Oxford before being presented at venues around the UK.